Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Kuala Lumpur: The AFC Men Referees and Assistant Referees Course 2015 (Group 2) came to a close on Tuesday in the Malaysian capital.
Course participants consisted of officials from the East, ASEAN, South and Central regions of Asia. 19 Referees and 32 Assistant Referees, including two women Assistant Referees who will be officiating in AFC Men Tournaments, attended the five-day course which is part of the preparation for the 2015 season.
FIFA/AFC Referee Instructors, Ali Traifi, Subkhidin Salleh, and John Chia assisted by FIFA/AFC Referee Fitness Instructors, Toshio Utsumi and Ganesan Maniam conducted the course.
AFC Deputy General Secretary Dato’ Windsor John, speaking at the closing of the course, said that the match officials must have the passion to drive themselves to be the best, and encouraged them to work hard at improving themselves in order to achieve good performances.
“You must realise the important roles you play on the field of play,” Dato’ Windsor said.
“A good game is only as good as it lasts. Past experiences do not guarantee success in the future. You have to continually strive to ensure you do well in every game you are assigned to. Improve your fitness levels, knowledge and skills. The AFC will support you in your development and will continue to support you. However, it is you who will decide how well you perform.”
Besides the annual fitness tests, theoretical and practical sessions, participants in the AFC Men Referees and Assistant Referees courses have been introduced to the “Intermittent Recovery Test” also known as the Yo-Yo Test.
In recent years, it has become easier for match officials to record high scores and subsequently pass the High Intensity Test - which is the present norm to measure referee fitness levels – therefore making it increasingly difficult to properly distinguish fitness levels between one official and another.
The Yo-Yo Test is therefore a useful tool which allows referee administrators to identify and grade fitness levels. It is a test of not only endurance but also mental strength. The test also provides more suitable data to calculate the participant’s maximum heart rate.
The AFC is now studying the possibility of using the Yo-Yo Test as an alternative to the High Intensity Test to measure referee fitness levels, with the possibility of it becoming the standard annual fitness test in the future.
The AFC Referees Department is currently content with merely exposing match officials to the Yo-Yo Test, in the hope that it will adequately prepare them should it become the official test.