Somali Football Federation Education officer and course
coordinator Ali Mohamed Ahmed who first addressed at the launching ceremony of
the course explained that SFF had spent a great deal of time and efforts in the
process of preparing fit and young age referees for the course.
"Here we have very talented referees including
international and national levels, most of them are young and this shows that
SFF is committed to developing the referee department from the bottom”
education officer Ali Mohamed Ahmed told the ceremony.
Djibouti football federation senior vice president
Mohamed Yasin welcomed the Somali referees to his country telling them that
Djibouti was their second homeland. "Feel to be at home, whilst in Djibouti you
are not guests or foreigners—I know most of you know about that, but I am
directing my speech to those who have never arrived in Djibouti” the FDF senior
vice president told the ceremony.
Somali Football Federation Secretary General Abdi Qani
Said Arab indicated that the SFF was always prioritising the development of its
referee department, because he said the referees are the backbone of most
activities.
"On behalf of SFF I would like to thank FIFA for its
continued efforts of helping how football in Somalia would have achieved a tangible
development—in the past FIFA did all it could to protect Somali football from
collapsing and that fruitful endeavour became very successful, because Somali
football was competing with the rest of the world despite experiencing one of
the most notorious civil wars and lawlessness in the world for the past 22
years” secretary General Abdi Qani Said Arab told the ceremony.
He also praised the government of Djibouti, Football
Federation officials and the entire people of Djibouti for making everything in
their capacity to help their Somali brothers. "The bilateral cooperation
between SFF and FDF is very mentionable” secretary General Abdi Qani Said Arab
noted during his speech.
For
his part Ahmed El Shenawi from FIFA referee development office in Cairo noted
that Somalia had done extra efforts in terms of referee development. "On behalf
of FIFA I am extremely happy with the young age and physically fit referees
here in front of me today” El Shenawi added.
Officials,
referees and media personnel who came to cover the course all stood and applauded
when Ahmed El Shenawi told the opening ceremony that FIFA was hopeful to
organize such course in Somalia’s capital Mogadishu next year if the security
situation has fully developed.
Somali
Football Federation President Ali Said Guled Roble praised the SFF referee
development department for coming up with young and strong people. "I encourage
you to show extra efforts and commitment during the course, know that poor
attendance or carelessness during the sessions will anger your instructors or
will affect your marks” SFF president Ali Said Guled Roble told the
participants before announcing the course was open.
The five-day
course is being conducted by FIFA instructor Lim Kee Chong and fitness
instructor Boubakar Hanshi, while education officer Ali Mohamed Ahmed is
coordinating and SFF referee development office chief and local fitness instructor
Abdi Abdulle Ahmed will be assisting the FIFA instructors.
Somali Football Federation Media Department
Email:somalifootballmedia@gmail.com