NFABD Deputy President Pehin Datu Indera Sugara Brigadier General (Rtd) Dato Paduka Hj Mohammad Yusof Abu Bakar presenting the certificate to one of the participants yesterday. BT/Ak Fauzi Pg Salleh
31 participants completed their five-day course for newly registered FIFA referees and FIFA assistant referees at the National Football Association of Brunei Darussalam (NFABD) headquarters yesterday.
Organised by world football governing body FIFA with the help of ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) and NFABD, the course started on Wednesday and were joined by newly registered FIFA referees and assistant referees from Brunei, Australia, Cambodia, Indonesia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
"On behalf of the NFABD, I would like to express our gratitude to FIFA for selecting NFABD to conduct this important course for FIFA, and this is the first time Brunei has been given the previllege," said NFABD Deputy President Pehin Datu Indera Sugara Brigadier General (Rtd) Dato Paduka Hj Mohammad Yusof Abu Bakar in his speech yesterday.
"I am very pleased to be here today, and I hope that all of the participants have gained knowledge and experience from this course so that they can make a full use of it in their duties as referees and assistant referees in their respective countries and also when being called by FIFA to officiate international matches," he said.
"At this juncture I also would like to take this opportunity to convey a special message from the president His Royal Highness Prince Hj Sufri Bolkiah to all the participants.
"His Royal Highness congratulates all the participants on completing the course and he also wishes to express his appreciation and gratitude to our instructors Muhd Razali Yaakub, (FIFA Development Officer) and Subkhiddin Mohd Salleh, (the FIFA Referee Committee Stand)," added the NFABD Deputy President.
Throughout the course, all the participants were taught a number of topics on refereeing, among them are serious foul play and violent conduct, management of penalties and free-kicks, offside, advantage, handball, simulation and celebration of goals.
"Today we have come to the end of the course, but for all the participants here, this is not the end of their duty and for them their job starts now," said Subkhiddin.
"Nowadays the task of refereeing is becoming more difficult as football is becoming more faster and technical every day, so all referees and assistant referees must upgrade their knowledge and also must keep their level of fitness," he said.
Also present at the event yesterday was the NFABD general secretary Hj Muhd Zamri Dato Paduka Hj Hamdani.
