Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Kuala Lumpur: Futsal referees Nurdin Bukuev and Gerald Bauernfeind have dispelled the notion that refereeing for futsal is second-rate to football, saying the former is a unique game in and of itself.
They feel that while formal futsal competitions might have been offshoots of football, the game has now made a name for itself and the people involved are in the position to make contributions distinct from those in football.
The Uzbek Bukuev and Austrian Bauernfeind were participants in the AFC Elite Futsal Referees’ Course held as part of the activities in the AFC Elite Education Seminar 2011 from February 9 to 23, 2011, here in Malaysia’s capital.
Both 30-year-olds have treaded different paths that eventually led them to futsal refereeing but have arrived at the same conclusion of the “sovereignty” of the game.
Bauernfeind, 30, was one of the men in the middle in football before making the transition to futsal a few years back in a country which he said had begun its interest in futsal about seven years ago.
He said: “I was happily refereeing for football when the game of futsal began making inroads to Austria and I was offered a chance to work in futsal. I took the plunge feeling not sure if it was a good move. Plus, I wasn’t sure if working in futsal would give me an equally good chance to reach the international level like football.
“After that, I got the opportunity to work with the UEFA. In 2007, I became a FIFA referee. My dream to go international had come true.
“Who says futsal refereeing won’t take you far? It works for me and I’m only 30,” said the lanky Bauernfeind, who joined the course under the AFC-UEFA referee exchange programme.
Bukuev started playing amateur futsal 15 years ago, at the same time the game started in the Central Asian country.
“You could say futsal in Uzbekistan is aged the same as I am in futsal,” said Bukuev, who later went into refereeing.
A FIFA referee since 2005 and AFC Elite Referee since 2005, Bukuev said: “To me, refereeing in futsal is tougher than football. It plays much faster, there are more goals than football and the spectators demand more from the referees who have to make more decisions.
“People shouldn’t say futsal is the little brother of football. Try playing a futsal match competitively, or try to referee one and you’ll know what I mean,” posed the Uzbek.
When asked if they would have picked other than futsal if given a choice of either football or futsal, both voted firmly on the latter.
“Futsal would have been my choice, now or 15 years ago,” said Bukuev, while his Austrian compatriot said: “I have no regrets whatsoever.”