02 Oct 2013

It takes a special person to become a referee, says BFA Chief Executive officer Keith Masters.  And what better way to bring out that special person than teaching them young how to adjudicate in a football game.

Masters who was officiating at the Botswana Primary School Sports Association (BOPSSA) youth refereeing course at Lekidi football centre recently, said the children’s desire to become referees was an inspiration. He said refereeing was an interesting task that required a thorough knowledge of the rules of the game. Referees are leaders, he said. This is because people look up to the referee during a football match.

“The referee’s decision is final and a referee can never be wrong,” he said. He advised the children to learn about refereeing but also have fun. The course organiser Selebatso Keabetswe said as BOPSSA they have previously given much attention to the development of football talent among children and left out those who wanted to become football officials.

He said as much as there were players who did well and progressed to the national team, they hoped those aspiring to be referees would become successful referees locally and internationally.

Keabetswe said the course was a chance for BOPSSA to develop children in an area they loved.

“We are not developing them for BOPSSA only, we want them to go through all levels and eventually become international referees as they grow,” he noted. He indicated that after the course they would monitor the children and provide them with basic equipment to motivate them.

He said they were expecting 40 children from primary schools around the country to take part in the course which entails both theory and practical aspects. ENDS