The Namibia Football Association (NFA) is hosting a workshop this week to address the abuse of referees by club officials and supporters.
The CAF Safety and Security Workshop started on Tuesday and concludes on Thursday. It is being facilitated by Uganda’s Humphrey Mandu and Xolile Vilakazi from eSwatini.
Without referencing any cases of referee abuse, NFA president Robert Shimooshili said the situation required urgent intervention when speaking at the workshop’s opening.
Shimooshili said match officials need to be protected and be able to go about their duties in a safe environment.
“We cannot tolerate insults, threats, and harassment against our referees any longer,” Shimooshili said.
“We must protect our referees, players, sponsors, guests, spectators, and ourselves. Zero tolerance for security threats at our stadiums is our goal.”
The first-of-its-kind in Namibia workshop aims to equip clubs with the necessary tools to manage stadium safety and security.
Namibia is the fifth country to implement this CAF initiative, following in the footsteps of eSwatini, Zimbabwe, Madagascar, and Rwanda.
The NFA plans to roll out similar workshops to all regions, subject to budget and operational planning, Shimooshili said.
Every club is now required to have a trained safety and security officer.
“We want to ensure that everyone involved in football, from players and referees to supporters and staff, feels safe and protected,” Shimooshili said.
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