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, Barr Poubeni Ogun gave the assurance 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.
Barr Ogun, while commending the organizers of the tournament for the laudable initiative, noted that the continuous training has improved the capacity of the referees, that the 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, describing referees as custodians of fair play, integrity and discipline.
The State FA boss explained that the duty of a referee goes beyond just the enforcement of the laws of the game, and urged all the participants to make good use of the opportunity before them.
He appreciated the programme facilitators for sharing their wealth of experience to the younger generation of referees in the State, charging the referees to implement everything they have learned from the exercise when the competition commences.
Barr. 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.
