Referees Department

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Referees Department E-Newsletter

2nd Quarter 2021

FIFA Referees Representation

1. AFC ASIAN CHAMPIONS LEAGUE 2021 (WEST REGION) & 2022 WORLD

CUP/ASIAN CUP QUALIFIERS

The new season of the AFC Asian Champions League (ACL) 2021 for West Region kicked

off in mid-April at various locations in the Middle East. Due to the ongoing pandemic

and travel restrictions in the region, matches were played in centralised venues across

Saudi Arabia, UAE and India from 14 to 30 April 2021.

On the same note, the 2022 World Cup/Asian Cup Qualifiers took place in June at

centralised venues in various countries as well. The Singapore Men’s National Team,

who were drawn in Group D, played their remaining group stage matches against

Palestine, Uzbekistan and Saudi Arabia in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Referees Department

On the refereeing front, Singapore was represented by FIFA Referee Muhammad

Taqi, FIFA Assistant Referees Ronnie Koh and Abdul Hannan to officiate in the group

stage matches for both tournaments. The trio officiated several matches in the ACL

group stages as well as the World Cup Qualifying match between China and Syria.

Strict safe management measures were implemented and Covid-19 tests were

undertaken on a regular basis during the tournaments. Referees were also placed

under the tournament medical bubble and segregated into different groups during

on-field practical training sessions and theoretical classroom meetings.

Referees Department

Referees Development

1. Singapore Premier League Referees

The first half of the 2021 AIA Singapore Premier League (SPL) season was

successfully completed prior to the June international break. Spectators were also

allowed to return to stadiums in April, albeit in limited numbers, before the Phase

2 Heightened Alert (P2HA) kicked in May.

A total of 31 match officials, made up of 12 main referees and 19 assistant

referees, are officiating in the SPL this season. They are assessed by a group of

17 referee assessors who play a vital role in analysing the referees’ performances

and helping them to further develop in their role.

Referees Department

All SPL matches were played with strict protocols in place to ensure the safety of

matchday personnel including the match officials. Further to it, mandatory weekly

swab testing was implemented during P2HA for all SPL players, team and match

officials.

Referees Department

2. Referees Fitness Training & Referees Development Group

Weekly fitness training sessions were

held at St. Wilfred Field and Jalan Besar

Stadium to provide referees an avenue to

train together and maintain their physical

fitness level during this period.

Over the past months,

referees under the

Referees Development

Group were consistently

engaged in online analysis

and discussion sessions

to further develop their

refereeing capability and

technical knowledge. The

referees also gained

insight and knowledge

from invited technical

instructors who shared

their experiences and

expertise.

Referees Department

3. FAS Futsal Tournament

In equipping the referees with the latest updates of the Futsal Laws of the Game, a

two days’ workshop of theoretical and practical session was conducted on 28th/29th

June and 1st July respectively at the Jalan Besar Stadium by the local technical

instructors. With the latest developments of futsal tournaments and school

competitions revolving around Singapore, our referees play an important role in

educating, interpreting and implementing the accurate futsal Laws of the Game to the

grassroots and stakeholders.

The workshop which was graced by the FAS Referees Committee Chairman, Mr Lim

Tong Hai and FAS Acting General Secretary, Mr Yazeen Buhari, saw an attendance

of more than 90 referees from the different refereeing classes. It focused more on

the key changes to the futsal laws and practical teamwork, positioning and movement

between the referees in the game.

37 referees from the 2018 batch kicked

off their four-year AFC Referee

Academy programme with the

Introductory Module I at the AFC House

on 8 November 2018. The aspiring elite

referees began their five-day module

with back-to-back practical sessions on

fitness and technicality, before diving in

on theoretical topics such as integrity,

psychology and fitness.

Class 1 Referee Lim Liang Yi and Muhd

Zulfiqar were selected in this course as

they met the pre-requisites for the

referee academy. They were exposed to

more intensive practical sessions as well

as being updated on the latest Laws of

the Game, with quizzes and presentations

to follow. The referees also have the

opportunity to garner insights and

experiences from their respective

referee educators.

3. AFC Star Programme

The AFC STAR Programme for referees aims to provide Member Associations with

access to quality education and expert advice from existing and retired

referees/instructors. Under the current pandemic circumstances, the programme has

been adjusted to be held virtually while sessions conducted by our local instructors

were physically held in classrooms.

The topics covered were mostly related to soft skills, such as Game Plan and Game

Empathy, to equip referees with the necessary knowledge on the field of play and

complement their technical knowledge from the Laws of the Game.

Referees Department

The FAS refereeing fraternity, including SPL referees and assessors, were privileged

to attend several sessions conducted by AFC trained coaches who touched on topics

relevant to Singapore. The programme, which was overseen by former English Premier

League Assistant Referee and Head of Professional Game Match Officials Limited

(PGMOL) group Mr Ray Olivier, provided our referees the opportunity to gain astute

knowledge through the sharing of experiences.

Referees Department

Fitness Training Methods

Training 1

Repeated Sprint Ability/Agility:

• RSA/Agility exercise:

• For (MD-2) – 3 sets of 3 reps.

• For (MD-3) – 4 sets of 3 reps.

o Recovery between each repetition: 1 minute.

o Recovery between each set – 5 minutes.

Training 2

HI aerobic endurance:

• HI exercise:

o ARIET – 2 x to level 15.5 or 15.6

o Recovery between rep. – 6 minutes

Prepared by:

Referees Department

Prepared by:

Referees Department