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From Femi Folaranmi, Yenagoa
The Bayelsa State Football Association, BSFA, says it will continue to invest in the betterment of the referees in the State.
Chairman of the Association, Poubeni Ogun, stated this ahead of the tournament at the 3rd Refresher course for referees at the Golden Tulip Resort, Onopa, Yenagoa, ahead of the tournament.
The chairman, who was represented by the secretary of the Bayelsa State Football Association, BSFA, Mr. Diseye Nwankwe, noted that the refresher courses for the referees over the years have placed referees from Bayelsa above their contemporaries in other states.
According to him, the introduction of the referees’ training into the Bayelsa Governor’s Football Tournament has changed the fortunes of the state referees, stating that referees from the Bayelsa State Council are among the best-behaved referees in the country.
Ogun, while commending the organisers of the tournament for the laudable initiative, noted that the continuous training has improved the capacity of the referees.
According to him, the Bayelsa FA is pleased with the good reports it is receiving about Bayelsa umpires, urging them to maintain the standard and not compromise.
He noted that the refresher course was not just an event but an investment in football that would yield productive fruits for Bayelsa in the future because referees are custodians of fair play, integrity, and discipline.
The State FA boss, who explained that the duty of a referee goes beyond just the enforcement of the laws of the game, urged all the participants to make good use of the opportunity before them.
He appreciated the programme facilitators for sharing their wealth of experience with the younger generation of referees in the State and charged the referees to implement everything they have learned from the exercise when the competition commences.
Ogun equally lauded the Director General of the tournament, Mr. Ono Akpe, and his team for their foresight towards updating the capacity of referees in the State.
