2008-05-20Staff Report 2 "By Carlos Kambaekwa WINDHOEK Thirty football referees from all corners of the country converged in the capital for a five-day FIFA Member Association Refereeing Course, which started at the Safari Court yesterday. The officials in black will be taken through the ropes on the latest aspects of the beautiful game, ranging from physical fitness training, guidelines for referees and their assistants to positioning, movement and signals as well as the use of the whistle. The referees will be under the guidance of FIFA accredited course instructor Felix Tangawarima, from Zimbabwe. Tangawarima applauded the Namibian Football Association (NFA) for their tireless efforts to include female referees in their setup. Interestingly, two female referees from the Oshana and one from the Khomas Region are amongst the course participants. The association's outspoken public relations officer Beau Kauta gave FIFA a pat on the back for the initiative and said many football followers don't realize the hard work that goes behind the scenes to organize competitive matches. ""The 90 minutes of football that we watch on the field of play is the culmination of all the hard work that is being put in place by making sure that suitable referees are appointed for league fixtures and all the other technical issues that comes along with the scheduling of matches."" The president of the National Olympic Committee Agnes Tjongarero emphasized the difference between acquiring theory and the application of knowledge. ""You are to be respected for what you have achieved and what you do, but please you ought to earn that respect. Now, with a course like this, I trust and hope human errors will be minimized and the nation will be able to witness proper refereeing in future,"" charged the ""Iron Lady"" of Namibian sport. " 2008-05-20Staff Report 2
