Thirty-one male and female referees and assistant referees from the eight member associations of the Central African Football Federations’ Union (UNIFFAC) have begun a four-day FIFA capacity-building course in Douala, Cameroon. The programme, running from 7-10 July, aims to raise refereeing standards across Central Africa in preparation for upcoming CAF and FIFA competitions.
The course started with physical endurance tests at the Bepanda Omnisports Stadium, followed by classroom sessions officially opened by UNIFFAC Executive Director Hassan Bala Korei and referees commission member René Daniel Louzaya. Louzaya emphasized that the training covers key aspects of modern officiating, including challenges, handball offences, offside situations, and penalty area incidents.
‘Our message is simple: work hard, because only hard work can take a referee to the highest level,’ Louzaya said, noting the long-term goal to produce officials capable of representing Africa at the FIFA World Cup. Participants from Cameroon, Chad, Congo, DR Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, the Central African Republic, and São Tomé and Príncipe are taking part in the four-day programme.
Article source: allafrica.com | Image credit: CAF Online
