Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Kuala Lumpur: The AFC Referee Academy celebrated its first milestone shortly after the official launch today, with the inauguration of the first teaching module at the AFC Headquarters in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
The five-day Introductory Module 1, which represents the first step in the four-year programme for aspiring referees to reach the AFC elite referees panel, began with in-depth sessions on the new AFC Referee Academy online platform, warm-up and recovery as well as positioning.
The programme will offer the 42 aspiring elite referees, both men and women from 27 Member Associations, insights into topics such as integrity, psychology, fitness, managing free-kicks and counterattack, as well as the application of the Laws of Game through match situation analysis.
“Today represents another significant step forward for the future of Asian refereeing,” said Chung Mong Gyu, Chairperson of the AFC Referees Committee.
“Through the AFC Referee Academy, our officials will have made available the best curriculum delivered by world-class instructors, with the aim to help our referees produce their best performance on the biggest stages.
“I would like to thank our guest educators and Member Associations for their commitment towards developing Asian refereeing.”
Combining both theoretical and practical approaches, the programme will see participants benefit from world renowned FIFA and AFC referee educators, including sports and fitness scientist Alejo Pérez Leguizamón, technical expert Farkhad Abdullaev and Fernando Gracia, former Senior Manager of Refereeing Development at FIFA.
The introductory level comprises four modules over a term of one year, with Module Two scheduled to take place in March 2018.
Photo: AFC