Referees ● Feb 21, 2013
4 Singaporean officials to attend UEFA’s CORE programme
SINGAPORE, 21 FEBRUARY 2013: Four Singaporean officials have been shortlisted to attend the UEFA’s Centre of Refereeing Excellence (CORE) programme in Switzerland later this year.
This is the first time UEFA has extended their invitation to Singapore since the programme was introduced in 2010. The Football Association of Singapore (FAS) will be sending three referees (one main referee and two assistant referees) and a referee instructor to attend the two-week course.
30-year-old referee Mohd Irwan Samsudin, assistant referees Muhd Syarqawi Bin Buhari, 22 and Nathan Chan Rong De, 21 and referee instructor John Chia, 50 have been selected to travel to Switzerland for a week each in April and October this year.
Irwan, one of three referees who will be attending the prestigious CORE programme in Switzerland said: “I am really excited and we are looking forward to learn from the top instructors at UEFA. We would like to thank the Football Association of Singapore (FAS), Referees’ Committee and Referees’ Department, as they have always been working hard in grooming our pool of referees to better our performances.
He then added, “This programme will certainly enhance our knowledge and capabilities, which we can play our roles in the development of local football. We must also remain committed and disciplined at all times in order to further develop our career in refereeing.”
Mr Ridzal Saat, Deputy Director, Development and Planning, Football Association of Singapore said: “We are heartened for the opportunity to send our young and promising referees to attend the prestigious UFEA Centre of Refereeing Excellence (CORE) programme in Switzerland. CORE is a key development programme for referees and assistant referees within the Europe’s national associations since its inception in 2010. We are grateful for the chance as our referees will be training under the guidance of UEFA top instructors, which will help raise their refereeing standards.
“Improving our referees’ performances is a key component of our Strategic Plan and we will continue to secure more resources and work with leading Football Associations for refereeing attachments to raise their knowledge and capabilities.” he concluded.
The CORE programme, which is managed at the Colovray Sports Centre opposite UEFA’s headquarters in Nyon, is an introductory course for promising young match officials with its aim of developing the skills and fitness of European international referees of the future. To date, almost 300 referees and assistants have attended the CORE courses, and more than 60 have already been promoted to the FIFA international lists.
