Paynesville City — Thirty Liberian referees participated in the FIFA MA Elite Course to standardize their performances for local and global competitions.

The course provided participants with information and methodologies that will assist them to refresh their referee career.

This information and methodologies include fitness tests (gate concept) and tactical foul/challenges, offside, positioning, and handball situations.

Speaking during the close of the course, Liberia Football Association, president, Mustapha Raji said that the Confederation of African Football (CAF) should consider making bankers and people from other professionals referees instructors, and assessors.

Raji urged the world governing body of football and Caf to amend entry criteria that would allow other professionals into refereeing

He guaranteed to continue supporting the development of referee along with medics, administrators and coaches in the country.

According to him, it would be a disaster if the referees do not interpret and implement the knowledge that they gained rightfully.

Said, Raji, "There is a specified window for referee development. Referees today received the highest amount of training excluding players. So we are doomed if some of you don't interpret or implement the knowledge you have gained.

"This doesn't mean that we shouldn't develop other areas but the key emphasis is placed on referees and that's why we want you to make maximum use of these opportunities," said Raji.

"Why do we have this law that only referees can become an instructor? Why someone, who has been in football management for over 20 years and understands the interpretation of the laws of the game, can't be a referee assessor, or instructor?

"What do we do if we lacked the knowledge of former referees to be instructors or assessors? So I believe that we need to get people from the schools or banks [and other professions] that we can train to be instructors and assessors," he said.