Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA)-accredited referee Vistoria Shangula, encourages females to start refereeing, saying it only requires physical and emotional fitness.
Shangula told Nampa on Monday that all it takes is training to be fit so that when the opportunity to represent Namibia abroad arises, you take it.
“If there is someone out there who wants to become a referee, the Namibian Football Association’s (NFA) doors are open,” Shangula said.
However, match officials require sponsorship for refereeing attire because local referees who are not accredited by FIFA wind up sharing clothing with referees who are accredited to officiate matches, which is a challenge.
The Head of Referees at the NFA Referees Department, Absalom Goseb, said that the NFA encourages young referees to apply in order to train and become quality referees.
“We require at least 100 referees in each region, yet often there is not even one. Further, we are working hard at the NFA to groom female referees as much as possible. One of the main criteria is to pass the fitness test for both males and females,” Goseb said.
He also urged female referees to join the NFA.
The NFA offers free refereeing courses so that match officials can be eligible for FIFA nomination when they are fit and ready.
Shangula officiated her first official game in 2018, an Africa Cup of Nations qualifier between Tanzania and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Source: The Namibian Press Agency