OFC – OFC REFEREES PUT THROUGH PACES

2006 OFC Club Championships

OFC REFEREES PUT THROUGH PACES

The Oceania Football Confederation is committed to developing world-class match officials, and part of that development programme began in Fiji this week as the first team of OFC match officials were put through the new FIFA referee’s fitness test in the build-up to the 2006 OFC Club Championships – Preliminary in Ba.

The new test is designed to simulate match conditions and combines a speed test with interval and endurance training. Referees are required to pass the fitness test before officiating at OFC tournaments.

The match officials were also the first within the confederation to receive the new OFC referee’s kit provided by Lotto, as the confederation moves to improve the standard of match officials throughout the region.

“Referee development is one of the key areas of importance for our Confederation, we want as many of our top officials consistently appearing on the world stage” noted OFC President Reynald Temarii.

10 match officials from Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Tahiti, Tonga, and Vanuatu undertook the test under the watchful eyes of OFC Referees’ Committee members Massimo Raveino of Tahiti and Fiji’s Chandra Segran.

The majority of the referees selected for the OFC Club Championships – Preliminary are new to FIFA International Panel and as well as officiating in the five day tournament they are also undertaking a “new referees” course facilitated by Raveino and Segran.

Similar courses will be run for women’s referees at the 2006 OFC U20 Women’s Championship in Samoa in April, and at the 2006 OFC Club Championships in New Zealand a month later.

2006 OFC Club Championships – Preliminary

Referees – Jacques Averii (Tahiti), Leonie Rakoroi (Fiji), Rakesh Chand Varman (Fiji), Tevita Vea (Tonga), Robert Tino Wohler (Tahiti)

Assistant Referees – Mahit Kalou Chillia (Vanuatu), Rohitsh Dayal (Fiji), Jeremie Hoata (Tahiti), Tevita Makasini (Tonga), Peter Paliwa