The next generation of match officials from the Cosafa region will be put through their paces in a referees’ workshop at the CAF African Schools Football Championship (ASFC) in Namibia next month.
The competition, which doubles as the Cosafa Qualifier for the continental finals, will be held at Walvis Bay from 11-13 October and see nine countries send not only their best young players, but also their most promising match officials too.
The competition, at the national, zonal and continental stages, offers this opportunity to young match officials as an entry point into international competition and for several it will be the start of a long career as a referee or assistant referee.
According to the Confederation of African Football (CAF) guidelines for the 2024/25 AFSC, Member Associations through their head of refereeing appoint referees and assistant referees for the national phase, where the best players in each country are identified.
The young referees should be approximately the same age as the players and selected from the CAF Young Referees Programme.
Last year in Zimbabwe, a total of 31 young referees aged 15 and upwards took part in the training ahead of the Cosafa zonal qualifier. They then took to the field to officiate in matches at the zonal qualifiers in Harare.
The CAF Young Referee’s Programme comes with the realisation that not all aspiring footballers will turn professional, but through such programmes, they can remain a part of the Beautiful Game.
Key to the programme at this level is the basic introduction and understanding of the Laws of the Game, which is accompanied by practical illustrations led by highly experienced CAF Refereeing instructors. – Cosafa.com
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