Select Group Referee Chris Foy, Lancashire FA Referee Development Officer and National List Assistant Referee Dean Mohareb and FA Regional Manager Ray Olivier were invited by The Football Association to deliver a four-day workshop in Colombia for elite referees during January.
The FA’s International Relations Manager Lucia Sanchez accompanied the delegation, as this was the first time The FA had delivered referee training in the country. The visit was an important one and she was delighted with the feedback from the delegates.
“It was a great experience, the Colombian referees really enjoyed and learned a lot from the workshops,” she said.
“All of the feedback has been extremely positive, with many complimentary comments.”
The seminar was highly publicised in the local and national media, with television companies, radio stations and newspaper journalists present throughout.
The President of the Colombian Federation, Mr Luis Bedoya, also attended the opening ceremony and spoke about the support and faith that the organisation had in its match officials.
The workshops were delivered with a mixture of theory and outdoor practical fitness sessions and all of the officials were totally involved and enthusiastic throughout. Topics such as ‘steps towards excellence,’ ‘where we are now,’ ‘offside,’ ‘teamwork,’ ‘player management’ and ‘getting the big decisions right,’ were all delivered by Ray, Dean and Chris.
Practical fitness sessions also took place every afternoon. Specific high intensity, speed and agility and low intensity (recovery) training was introduced each day and the delegates also tried the new Yo-Yo Assessment, which has been introduced in England this season. Despite the high temperature and difficult grass surface, the results were extremely impressive.
There were many people in attendance during the four days. The media were present throughout and coverage in the local and national newspapers, radio and television was constant. The President of the Colombian Federation, the President of the Referees Commission, the General Secretary of the Federation and a FIFA Observer were amongst the dignitaries who were also present.
The course was extremely well received by the Colombian Federation, the elite officials and FIFA, whose observer Amelio Andino was particularly impressed with how it all went.
“For me, the technical and physical work the English instructors have delivered has been unbelievable,” he said.
“All of the officials and instructors have been impressed with the professional work undertaken. They have learned and I have learned.”
Elite Referee Oscar Ruiz, who has been a FIFA Referee since 1995 and represented his country at the 2002 and 2006 World Cups, spoke very highly of the workshop and the instructors who delivered it.
“The international instructors have taught me many things this week,” he said.
“I have learned and developed and I will improve more, so that I am a better referee. They must come back, as the course was not long enough for me!”
Course tutor Dean Mohareb was also thrilled to have been involved in the workshop.
“When Ian Blanchard telephoned me and asked to deliver the workshop, I was absolutely dumbstruck,” he said.
“Ian has been a fantastic role model in my instructional work and to be asked by him to deliver abroad was such an honour.
“David Burgess and Eddie Wolstenholme (from the Lancashire FA) have also fully supported me in this line of work. To have the backing of the County FA in such a project is a great feeling and very important.
“During the week, working with elite officials who have many different pressures and different interpretations of some aspects of the Law, was a real experience.
“I have not only developed as a tutor but also as a match official during the week. The seminars were interactive, thought-provoking and beneficial to the tutors and the delegates. I hope that the work we have done can help the Colombian Federation and their match officials move forward in the coming season.”
The theme of the workshop was ‘delivering excellence’ and it appears that all of the elite referees, instructors, members of the Referees Commission and match inspectors have taken on board the theme in their pursuit to constantly improve.
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