Positioning - Angle of View (click to enlarge)

FAM in FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking

Opening the FIFA Coca-Cola ranking, page 4 of 5 pages, I find the two FAMs ranking at 157 and 158. Which ever is Maldives or Malaysia will be the same as I am part of both worlds. I was blushed as I open the web page in front of my Maldivian friend; I said "my country is below yours in ranking". Luckily he was consoling by saying, "you are in refereeing not the football team". Whatever it is there is a saying, "you have not fail unless you did not get up when you fall". Rather tired as I concluded the referee assessors’ seminar discussing the performance of the match officials in the opening match of the Dhivehi League Charity Shield. It was a pleasure and an optimistic session as all the RAs shared the same assessment perspective and opinion in concluding a consistent approach in the assessment of referees for the improvement and development of referees in general. The referees must also play a part by having an open mind to absorb all comments and advice shared by the RAs later in the season. I hope and pray that these efforts will be blessed with the goodness in the referees’ performance hence forth. Excellence can happen to anybody, he can be an ordinary person, from an ordinary family, an ordinary island or an ordinary atoll if his efforts are extra-ordinary.

Seminar for Referee Assessors FAM

For the first time, FAM has a pool of referee assessors (RA) to monitor the referees' performance in all matches and to assist in development. Ex-FIFA Match Officials in Maldives were roped in to assist. Even AFC current renowned Match Commissioners (MC), Abdul Hamid Abdul Ghafoor and Ahmed Shahir were present to give their support and to keep in touch with latest interpretation and implementation to the Laws of the Game and FIFA Guidelines to refereeing. A three days seminar is being held starting yesterday (28 January 2009) with the Referees Director, Amir Sharifuddin sharing and discussing the guidelines in the assessment approach on refereeing. The RAs were also given video test to ensure that they keep in line with the latest interpretation on fouls and misconduct. The assessing approach will be more a coaching and mentoring one rather the inspection and admonishment type. With that the referees are expected to have an opened mind to absorb advice to enhance their development. Other RAs present were Mohamed Hashim, Ahmed Abeer Ismail, Ahmed Asim, Abdul Hakeem Moosa and Ahmed Ummeed. FAM will try to get the services other ex-FIFA Match Officials to assist in this field. For the first time all the first and second division’s matches will be covered by a MC and a RA. All RA atttended the opening match and will give their views in the seminar the next day on the performance of the match officials, discus and come to a consenses of a standard procedure and approach in the assessment and improvement of the match officials. Hopefully this effort will help to see the development of refereeing in the right direction.

Basic Referees Courses for Atolls 2009

The Referees Department is seeking the cooperation of authorities in the atolls to give feedback on the requirement of basic football and futsal referees courses in the atolls. Forms can be downloaded from the FAM website or through fax by request. The needs analysis is neccessary to map out the courses in all the atolls for the year. At least 12 courses are expected to be held. Talent scouting will also be carried during the courses and potential future referees will be identified from the participants and be given special courses to develop their refereeing skills further and to motivate them into excellent future referees. All effort and cooperation is required form all to ensure Vision Maldives on refereeing matter be a reality.

Referees Activities for February 2009

*All referees who did not attend the seminar in January are requested to be present and also attend the fitness test on the 20 February 2009 (6.30 am) to be registered with FAM. Please confirm and report at FAM on 19 February 2009 at 4.30 pm for briefing.

Last Fitness Test on the 20 February 2009 630 am for registration.


7 February 2009 (1st Saturday of the month)
Monthly Meeting for Referees 6.30 am at turf

26 - 28 February 2009
FUTSAL Referees Basic Course
1500 - 2000 hrs at FAM House.
All applicants are welcome to attend this course.
Successful candidates in the theory & practical sessions will be qualified Futsal Referees.

The Referees Department is planning to have basic referees courses in schools for teachers and schoolboys to recruit future referees. Invitation will also be extended to the Army and Polis personnels to have these courses, including the Futsal Referees Courses in these two department. Discussions will held soon to attend to this two potential sources of our future Maldivian referees.

FAM Annual Fitness Test 2009

Only 14 referees of the 38 registered attended the annual fitness test on the 24th January 2009. These 14 will be registered for the mean time. The rest will have to wait till they fulfilled the requirement of attending the seminar and the fitness test. The FIFA fitness test is adopted which includes the 6 x 40 m run (6.4 seconds) and the 20 x 150 m intermittent run (30 seconds run and 40 seconds walk). 9 referees who trained themselves or had undergone the fitness training program by the referees department had no problem in going through the test. Two more seminars will be held to enable other to join. They will held on the 2 - 5 February 2009 and 20 - 23 January 2009. The department is planning to go to the atolls to recruit more referees. Referees who are not registered will not be appointed for matches by FAM and will not receive the equipments for this year. This year the President has also agreed to insure all match officials.

PREPARATORY SEMINAR FOR REFEREES

All referees registered with FAM will be attending a 4 days seminar in the FAM House starting 21st January 2009 at 3.00 pm. The seminar is aimed to prepare all the referees for the 2009 Dhivehi League which commences on the 29th January 2009. All referees will be given refresher training and theory sessions on matters relating to the problems faced in the previous seasons besides updating them with the latest changes to the Laws of the Game. Topics to be touched are: management of players and officials, handball, handling serious fouls play, denying goal scoring opportunity, offside and teamwork. Participants will be given written and video test on the laws of the game. They will also be tested on their fitness level. Practical sessions at the Henveyru ground will tackle the refereeing skills. With this seminar, the referees department hopes all the referees will be physically and mentally fit for the coming seasons.

Upgrading Dhivehi Futsal

“Dhivehi Futsal” – I would rather use that term as we have not reached the stage to say that the game that we are playing or organizing is FIFA Futsal . In term of the play, the standard of Dhivehi Futsal is high – good ball skill, fast and facinating tactical play. What then do we need to raise the level of the game? Brazilians were also playing on pitch like ours. The organizer has to look into factors that are within their control.

The rules of the competition, number of players in a team, duration of the match, the “pitch”, number of match officials in a game (the referee, second referee, the timekeeper/third referee), players attire (stockings and shin-guard overlooked) and the technical area. Instead of using the sandy pitch at the mini stadium, organizers should try to get FAM’s sanction to play it in the second artificial pitch. Guides to the proper organizing of the competition can be referred to the technical department. Proper organization of the game not only will raise the standard of the game but will give a good implication to refereeing. This will eventually leads to the higher level of referees. Thus we will have our referees registered as FIFA Futsal Referees in the near future. InsyaAllah.

ACL INJURY

Post Knee Arthroscopy Exercises
ACL Injury
(Source: Physical Theraphy: About.com)

After undergoing knee arthroscopy, it is important to begin exercising your knee immediately to restore strength and full range of motion. Initial exercises should be non-weight bearing in nature, and should focus on gentle strengthening of the muscles surrounding the knee as well as increasing joint range of motion.
As always, you should discuss starting any exercise program with your orthopedic surgeon prior to initiating it. Most physicians will approve an early rehabilitation program, however others may ask you to wait a week or so after your procedure.
Initially, you will experience some swelling and discomfort in the knee for a few days post operatively. You will most likely be given a prescription for pain medication and an anti-inflammatory drug to help alleviate these symptoms.
You should expect to feel a gentle stretch while performing your beginning exercises, but you should not experience any pain. Any activity that causes significant discomfort should be stopped immediately. It is also a good idea to ice and elevate your leg after performing these exercises to decrease any increase in swelling.
The following exercises are appropriate for immediate post-arthroscopy rehabilitation. The movements should be gentle and steady. Bouncing or over-stretching should be avoided. Read on to review these four exercises.

Lay on your back on a flat surface. Place a rolled towel under your ankle between you and the surface. Push your ankle down into the towel roll. This will cause your knee to straighten as it raises off the surface you are laying on. Straighten your knee as much as possible and hold the position for five seconds. (Avoid any type of bouncing motion!) Relax and repeat 10 more times.

Exercise 2 - Hamstring Contraction
Lie on your back with your knees bent in a 10 to 15 degree angle. Without moving your leg, pull your heel into the floor. This will cause the muscles on the back of your thigh to contract. Hold this for five seconds. Relax and repeat 10 more times.

Exercise 3 - Gluteal Sets
Lie on your back with your knees bent in a 10 to 15 degree angle. Squeeze your buttock muscles together. Hold for five seconds. Relax and repeat 10 more times.

Exercise 4 - Straight Leg Raises

Lay on your back on a flat surface. Bend the knee of your uninvolved leg (the one that wasn't operated on) to a 90-degree angle with your foot flat on the surface. Keep your involved leg straight without the knee bent. Slowly lift the involved leg six inches off the floor. (by contracting the front thigh muscles). Hold for five seconds. Slowly lower your leg to the floor. Relax and repeat 10 more times. (The knee of the raised leg should remain straight throughout this exercise. Focus on lifting by using the muscles on the front of your hip joint.)

Comedy Football

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wtjO6u9s_ZA

Funny Video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=154gkNGmRaM

FAM AWARDS 2008

FAM AWARD NIGHT 2008

January 16, 2009, Ahmad Ameez once again was appreciated for his service in refereeing for the country. Along with Ahmad Ameez, were Mohamed Fareed and Mohamed Aneel who were also credited for their commitment to refereeing in the FA of Maldives 2008. The function was held in Dharubaruge, Rannabandeyri Maalan last night.

Amir: A Month in Maldives

15 January 2009, a month has pass since I laid my foot on Maldives. To me, it’s a blessing of Allah that I am here. The religious background of the mosque, the friendliness of my colleagues who are always willing to give a helping hand in whatever I need, makes me feel at home. My personal life is healthier and fitter through jogging or morning walks, work-out in the gym and training with the referees in their preparation for the annual fitness test. Food - I have to adapt myself to the culture. Being sea-based, fish is daily menu, chicken will be a bit expensive, and vegetable is difficult in the dish except for carrot and cabbage. No ‘ulam’ like in Malaysia. The people here like to bite in areca nuts after meal with ‘sireh’ – over in Malaysia only old folk do that. Many things are carried out based on interest and pleasure. Friendly games – the service by referees is free but the verbal abuse comes along with it too. Thus, many referees expect to be spoon-fed by FA Maldives, including jogging outfit. Attitude of some are obstacle that need to be changed. For things to change, they must change themselves first. Change must be for the better – innovation. Who knows in one of the islands that we have not laid our eyes on maybe the next FIFA referee of Maldives. I pray to Allah that he give me the strengh and His blessing to see that the programs and planning by me will be materialised, InsyaAllah.

FUTSAL vs FOOTBALL

For the football fans and futsal organisers, this blog may be of concern to you as I am going to highlight the differences and similarities of Futsal with Football.
Futsal is played with a low bounce size 4 ball whereas football, a size 5 ball. 5 players including the goalkeeper for Futsal, 11 for the normal game. In normal football only 3 substitutions can be used while ‘rolling substitution’ is implemented in Futsal (players can go out and come in again as many times as they like). Duration of play (Futsal) is 20 minutes of stoppage time whereas it is 45 minutes of running time in normal football. One time out is allowed in each half in Futsal but none for football. Ball out of play is restarted with a kick in (throw in for normal game) or goal clearance (goal kick). Corner kick is in use for both games. All fouls that are not permissible are the same for both games. In addition, no tackling or shoulder charge is permitted in Futsal.

In normal game the goalkeeper is allow to hold the ball within 6 seconds but in Futsal, the goalkeeper can only keep the ball in his hand or feet for only 4 seconds. 4 seconds rule is also applicable during free kicks, corner kicks and kick in.

For all Maldivian organisers, it is much appreciated to follow closely the Laws of the Game to raise the standards and level of the game in term of the play and the organising of the game. Elements that can be amended in the rules of the competition are duration of the match, number of players in a team (minimum is five), it shall be invalid if it is less than 3 and the size of the pitch. The goals shall not be smaller unless it is not name FUTSAL.

Refereeing Tips from Amir: Decisiveness of Decisions

Refereeing is an arbitrary job when incidents happen, the two parties concern will refer it to somebody and the person whom it was referred is the referee. Judges in court have ample time to make a judgment or even refer to colleagues of the same profession for advice. A referee has only himself and some body cues from his team-mates to make a correct decision within a split seconds. Yet his decisions have to be accepted all the time. To do this he has to show some authority, gesture, body language, hand signals and even in his style of whistling to be convincing and to show his decisiveness in his decisions.
Tips: A quick dash to the place of incident for strong hard or aggressive foul or to the penalty mark can indicate that the referee is very sure of his decision. A delayed but quick move of the arm when giving hand signal for a goal kick, corner kick or a free kick also show decisiveness. Facial impression – a smile, a calm or stern look do indicate self confidence and a pale or blank look, a shoulder shrug or a snobbish reaction can welcome negative reactions. A quick flash of the cards or a slow uncommitted raise of the hand gives a different connotation. Different intonation in the whistling for different incidents also gives a flare to the refereeing stye. Quick strong blast for a hard foul, short blow for a normal foul, long clear sounds an offside and double whistling that you want him to come to you. The first impression of yourself is very important because you will never get a second chance to create a first impression.

HAVEERU AWARDS NIGHT

Ahmed Ameez - Best Referee Award 2008

Ahmed Ameez (37) FIFA Assistant Referee of the FA Maldives (FAM) was named the Best Football Referee of the Year by Haveeru Newspaper during the Haveeru Awards Night on the 9 January 2009.

FAM wish to congratulate him on his achievement and hope that all other referees will put in more effort to be at the top of their performance for this year leagues.

Refereeing Tips from Amir: Match Preparation

Once a friend of mine said, "It take years to be a good referee but it takes only a few seconds to be a bad one". If we fail to prepare then we might as well be prepared to fail. This tip is rather tailored to the referees in Maldives Dhivehi Leagues because most of the referees here work in the the morning till 2.30 pm and straight to the field/stadium to do a match. Where is the mindset, the needed rest and the mental preparation for the match. Teams takes a long time to prepare for a good match. What will happen if a good move and an excellent goal is ruled offside by an assistant who was not paying attention to the actual position of the player when the ball was passed or misjudgement by the referee between a trip and a simulation.

The tips: have an early lunch and if you having food before the match it shall be of carbohydrates and at least two hour before the match. Coffee or tea before a match may cause hypoglycemia (low glucose in the blood to generate energy). Arrive as early as possible to the venue to have a good rest. Have a mental preview of the match by imagining events or incidents in the match and the actions that you would take. This is 'imagery' in sport psychology the will provide you with the experiences of incidents even by not actually encountering it. Check the field and the touch line (if you are the AR). Warm up half an hour before the match at least 15 minutes on the field to get acclimatized to the match condition especially the crowd. Have a good briefing with the rest of the team officials. Control the players' attire and equipments well at the tunnel. This will give the extra edge over them in control. Did you practice your toss of coin? A stylist toss will give the extra boost to the confident too. Walk confidently and smartly into the field. Good Luck!

Stupid Goalkeeper? Must See

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LoFFCBe8qxE

How many times can a penalty be repeated?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJwAE5Mtrxc

Worst Decisions by Referee

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xKuLtLXl7FI

Funny Gay Referee

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ewI1MgIDuHE

Refereeing Tips from Amir: Body Language and Referee's Movement

The Referee's movement on the field of play following the flow of play can be tough and tiring. This is so, if the referee does not have the knowledge of reading the game. More often, a fit referee could end up exhausted. A few tips on body language showed by players while moving with the ball or moving into position can be used as guides to referees moving into position.
A player dribbling or moving the ball up with the ball close to him, more often will making short passes; while a player having the ball slightly ahead of him, giving himself a wider range of vision, thus has the choice of making a long pass. A player lifting up his head (or looking forward) while dribbling the ball will most like be making a high long pass. Midfielder bringing the ball up with both his flankers running near touch into space gives him the choice to pass it to the flanks. This is true if no opponent approach him. A goalkeeper after catching the ball from an attacking move (or shot) from the right more often will kick the ball up or throw it to the left or vice versa.
In short, a referee while handling a game or watching a game should try to observe players movement to understand how a good understanding of players' body language will enhance his movement in the field of play. Happy trying!

Jest for a Laugh

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9c3PPCDxKB4

Football Association of Maldives is inviting any interested person to become a referee. If you are interested you can apply to attend any of the new referees course schedule to be held in your atolls or the atolls near to you. All the atolls have divided into 6 regions inorder to coordinate the courses. The first course will be held in February 2009 for the island of Male', all interested can fill up an application form in the FAM office.

A six days evening course will be held at the FAM House. Theory and practical sessions together with power point and video presentation will enhance the course understanding. These sessions will be in English but local instructors will be present to translate, if needed. Do not hesitate, this may be your opening to a change in your life. (FAM Referees Director)

FAM Refereeing Activities for 2009 - 2010

Football Association of Maldives (FAM) will be running the following courses to develop football refereeing in the country. Among those planned for 2009 - 2010 are:
1. Seminar and Fitness Test for National Referees (21 - 24 January)
2. Seminar for Referee Assessors and Match Commisioners (28 - 30 January)
3. Futsal Referees Course & Examination (22 - 24 February)
4. New Referees Course for Atolls (26 Mac - 15 May) - 6 regions will be formed
5. Potential Atolls Referees Course (12 15 July)
6. National Referees Intructor for Atolls (15-18 Feb, April)
7. Referees Courses for teachers, students, police and army (the Ministries concerned will be contacted to get their permission and cooperation to implement these courses)
8. National Elite Referees Course (3 - 6 May)
9. National Potential/Future Referees (12 - 15 July)
10 National Examination (18 - 21 Oct)
11. Promotion Course & Fitness Test (25 - 28 Oct)
12. Laws of the game briefing for all clubs (free sessions are given to interested clubs on request)
13. Monthly meetings for referees (1st Saturday of each month)

Refereeing Tips from Amir: Identifying Fouls

Direct Free Kicks - in Law 12 there are seven physical fouls when executed against an opponent, the referee will penalized with a direct free kick (DFK):
- kicks or attempts to kick an opponent
- trips or attempts to trip an opponent
- jumps at an opponent
- charges an opponent
- strikes or attempts to strike an opponent
- pushes an opponent
- tackles an opponent

A referee actually needs only to identify whether the foul was physical in nature and was it directed to an opponent. If the manner it was executed was careless, it is only penalised with a DFK. If it was reckless - with no attention to the opponent safety, a yellow card is also given to the offender, and if excessive force or aggresion was involved, the culprit shall be sent off.

The other three offences are also penalised with a DFK, ie., holds an opponent, spits at an opponent or handles the ball deliberately (except for the goalkeeper within his own penalty area). Holding an opponent or handling the ball deserve only a DFK but if it prevents a good attack, it is unsporting behavior, a yellow card is issued, and if it denies a goal scoring chance (GSC) a red card should be given. GSC also occur with the other fouls above. Spitting is violent conduct, either to an opponent, team-mate or anybody else on the field of play, a red card should be issued.
In conclusion, all physical fouls directed towards an opponent is penalised with a DFK and if recklessness is involved, a yellow card is issued, and if serious foul play with excessive force or violent conduct, a red card is correct.

Young Refs Training for Fitness

Eight referees were at the main turf pitch training under the supervision of FAM Director of Referees. Last night bout emphasized on speed endurance and was quite taxing but these young blood were still fresh after the session. This shows that the training a week ago was effective. Leading the group in training is Ahmed Aslam, FIFA Assistant Referee. Keep it up!

An Excellent Referee

An excellent referee can come from an ordinary person, an ordinary home, an ordinary island or an ordinary atoll if his effort is EXTRA-ORDINARY

Refereeing Tips from Amir: Be In Position

"Your positioning needs to be improved". That's what your assessor often says. You ponder to yourself and ask, " was I not running?" "How come I still missed the incident?" The FIFA diagonal system of match coverage is only a guide to match control and positioning. Being in the area of positioning recommended does not mean that you are correctly positioned. The general guide in positioning is to have the PLAY always IN BETWEEN you and your Assistant Referee. Firstly, we must ask ourselves why are we moving or running. " Near is convincing" - but this does not neccessary be true all the time. We move because we want to see and we have to see. We want to see CLEARER and to decide BETTER. To be able to achieve that, you then have to move to be NEARER.
Secondly, football is a game of high mobility thus the position of the referee must not be static. If you cannot see through all the players between you and your assistant then you should move to a better position to be able to see in between all players. With that, you will be able to detect and judge any pulling or tripping fouls or a mere simulation. Next, during play when the ball is moving, positioning becomes a more difficult task to achieve. Lastly, a better referee will able to read the game and move EARLIER to be in position and thus will be in the place of incident before the ball arrives. In conclusion, the BETTER Referee must be able to move EARLIER, to be NEARER, to see CLEARER and thus, decide BETTER.
All the best!

FUTSAL - Maldivian Style

As I see it, futsal or rather football five aside is the in thing in Male. Everyone will be crazy to play or watch others play. I know that there are also many organisers who like to organise either for their own pleasure, monetery gain or to fill the youngsters desire. FUTSAL can be a business too. Futsal, the way it it is played can raise the skill of the players. Brazilian also started in the condition of the field that we have. Maybe one day, insyaAllah Maldivian will be the top in the Futsal Competition in AFC at least.
The Ministry concerned should look into the making of pitches (open-aired would also be ok) to fulfill this need. Artificial turf or other recommended surface should be considered instead of the sandy pitch. The present area next to the artificial turf pitch seems appropriate.
The Football Association of Maldives (FAM) will also monitor and see that all the competitions organised this year onward will conform with FIFA Laws of the game and guidelines. This will raise the standards of the competitions and also the game. This will also open the opportunity to our referees to be FIFA Futsal Referees too.
In conjunction to that a Futsal Referees Course will also be held in February 2009 to have a pool of referees qualified to officiate in Futsal games. All those interested to be FUTSAL referees can attend the course. Forms for registration wil be out soon. This course will be held yearly.
(FAM Director of Referees).

Refereeing Tips from Amir: The Next Phase

Most referees will manage to grasp the basic refereeing skills besides remembering almost all or the important Laws of the Game, like the basic movement, whistling, signaling, positioning, wall management and the most important the interpretation of the fouls. More often, the problem faced by most refs is positioning - being at the right place at the right time. Knowing the next phase of the play is something that not all refs are gifted with it. More often many go through years of experiencing with difficulties, to gather this ability. Ref should ask himself during normal play, at free kicks, corner kicks, goal kicks, goalkeeper kicks, a quick attack on the flank or during a quick counter attack is that " where is the ball is going to be". More often the body language of the player with ball, other moving players, position of the key player (s), pattern of play and many other factors need to be considered to be able to be at the the place where the next phase play will be. Good luck trying!

FAST ATTACKING PLAY IN DHIVEHI LEAGUE

Director of Referees Comment:
After having watched the teams in training, I find that the country has a lot of potentials among our boys in term of skill and fitness. Fast movement, good control of the ball and excellent fitness level. I wish to congratulate all the coaches for a job well done. Still there is something that will make a successful team; ie. good smooth teamwork. Good luck to all the teams.
Having said that, this has a great implication on refereeing. Why? The referees have to keep up with play and an excellent referee will have a good reading of the game. Referees have to keep up with the pace by getting themselves fit and be ready for the job. They have been given the exposure last month during the latest FIFA MA Elite Referees course held in Male, to the correct interpretation of the laws and training methods. It is up to them to translate it into good match handling with good physical fitness level. The annual Seminar and Fitness Test will gauge their preparation.
All the best everyone.

Rules and Regulation for FAM Referees

Introduction
Football Association of Maldives (FAM) enters into 2009 with a more optimist approach and determination to see Maldivian football developing and moving towards its highest level. This will see Maldivian football being respected not only within the region of SAFF, AFC but also in FIFA. Steps have been taken to ensure the development of football players from the age of 13 till the National side. This has to be enhanced by having essential program also for the referees towards a correct and consistent interpretation of the Laws of the Game and also its implementation.

Vision
Maldivian Referees in the World Cup

Policies of Refereeing Officials
Policies have to set to ensure the smooth implementation of refereeing matters in accordance to the requirements of competitions. Rules and regulations spell the implementation of policies governing the refereeing matters. The Referee Committee is responsible to set the policies, rules and regulation governing refereeing matters and shall be implemented with the approval of the executive council of FAM

Implementation of Policy
The Referee Department being the executive body of FAM shall sees that all policies, rules and regulations be observed. The duties and responsibilities includes:
- To register and develop the list of instructors, assessors, referees and assistant referee for the league season;
- To organise courses and seminars for referees assessor, instructors, referees and assistant referees at national and regional level;
- To define fundamental criteria and requirements for match officails;
- To provide up-to-date training programmes and course materials;
- To adopt guidelines on technical support for referees and the appointment of refereeing for tournaments organised by FAM;
- To determine the tasks and responsibilities assigned to members of the Referees Committee and to advisers and instructors at tournaments organised by FAM;
- To update match officials with latest the FIFA Laws of the Game and guidelines;
- To devise and implement training programmes that prepare both male and female referees for the most important FAM/AFC/FIFA tournaments.

Rules and Regulations
Registration
· Referees who wish to referee in the FAM Leagues shall apply to be registered.
· Abide to the rules and regulations set by FAM

Seminars, Courses and Training Sessions
· Accept or reject invitation to seminars, courses or training sessions by FAM.
· Attend all sessions with full commitment and responsibility.

Refereeing Assignments
· All appointment of refereeing officials shall be made by FAM through the Referees Department.
· Officials shall be informed at least a week before the match unless of unforseened circumstances.
· Officials shall informed FAM their acceptance of the appointment.
· Officials shall carry out the duties with commitment and in a responsible manner.
· Officials shall submit reports of matches handled within 24 hours after the match (unless not applicable due to locality)
· All incidents (including sent off) shall be reported immediately.
· Officials shall be paid the approved indemption in due period stated by FAM.

Criterias of Promotion and Demotion
A stated monitoring system is necessary to ensure all match officials are aware and are given the opportunity to develop in their career path of refereeing. This syetem includes observations and assessments on the performances. Guidance and advices should also be rendered to the match officials to enable them to develop in their career. Criterias are set to give a fair and clear information to all officials concerned. The criterias are as follows:

New Nomination of FIFA Match Officials
· FIFA Referees, FIFA Assistant Referees, FIFA Ladies Referees, FIFA Ladies Assistant Referees, FIFA Futsal Referees, FIFA Beach Soccer Referees
· Referee Commitee to decide nominees suggested by department
· Referees in the National League List
· Passed FIFA Fitness Test specifically held for the purpose of registration
· Age under 38 years on the 1st January of the registration year.
· Can communicate in English


Re-registration of FIFA Match Officials
· FIFA Referees, FIFA Assistant Referees, FIFA Ladies Referees, FIFA Ladies Assistant Referees, FIFA Futsal Referees, FIFA Beach Soccer Referees
· Age, availability for appintment by FAM/AFC/FIFA
· Passed FIFA Fitness Test specifically held for the purpose of registration (failures will be given a second trial).
· Nominee who are injured must produce relevant document and will be subjected to commitee’s decision.
· Attained average performance above 8.5 from all the top matches. (FIFA referees will be considered their appointment as referees and AR will be on the ARs duties)
· Commitment


Registration of National Referees
· Below the age limit set by the referees committee.
· Attained average performance above 7.5 from all matches.
· Passed the fitness test held for the purpose of registration. Failures will be given a second trial.
· Failures (subjected to referees committee’s decisions) may be invited to officiate in matches at the lower level.
· Registered to the National Association (FAM)

Registration of National Referees Assessors
· Having officiated in high level competition (subjected to referees committee’s decision)
· Has the ability to communicate with referees and assistant referees (command a good proficiency in English is appreciated)
· Possessed a certain degree of respect by junior referees.
· Invited by the referees committee
· Ability to instruct and to command in meeting

Registration of Preliminary Class Referee
a. Preliminary Level Referees
Sits and passed the referee examination and shall be classified as Preliminary Referee. Can be Assistant Refereee in thelower division. Need to be tested for two assessors to be qualified for apointment into higher league. Is eligible to be appointed to Division III league and below.

b. National Referee
Two years in preliminary level to qualify to sit for the National Referee Examination. Need to passed the fitness test before given two practical tests. Will be classified as follow:
National Class C : Eligible to do all division II matches and below.
National Class B : Eligible to AR in division I matches and Referees in other Matches.

c. Elite Referees
Selected National B referee based on performance as referees with an average of 8.5 and above. Eligible to be referee and assistant referee for all matches.

Other Matters
a. FAM may look into the welfare of the match officials in term of indemptions, insurances, attires, equiptments or other facilities deemed appropriate by the management or executive commitee.
b. FAM reserved the rights to accept or reject any application or invitations for match officials.

Referees Department,
Football Association of Maldives Effective from 1 January 2009

FAM Referees Contact Numbers

ABDUL HAMEED ABDUL GHAFOOR - 7771417 (AFC Match Commisioner)
ABDUL HAKEEM MOOSA - 9704383 (Referees Assessor)
AHMED ABEER ISMAIL - 7766634 (Referee Assessor)
AHMAD SHAHIR - 7771012 (AFC Match Comissioner)
AMIR SHARIFUDDIN WONG - 759 7027 (Director, Referees Department)
IHUSAN ABDUL GHANI - 7777009 (FAM Technical Department)
MOHAMED SAEED - 7771227 (Referee Assessor)
Other Match Officials
ABDHULLA SAEED - 7768206
ABDUL AZEEZ ADAM - 7603560
AFEEF ABDHUL SAMAD - 7788108
AHMED SHIFAN ABDHUL RAHEEM - 7775546
AHMED AFSAH - 7683623
AHMED AMEEZ- 7786989
AHMED ASLAM - 7742721
AHMED JABEEN - 7905244
AHMED REZA - 7755014
AHMED SHAFEEQ - 7793713
AHMED UMMEED - 7777807
ALI ADIL - 7784013
ALI SAMEEM - 7795011
ANWAR ABDHULLA - 7916055
BASIL NAFEES - 7903623
HASSAN LABEEG - 9901044
HASSAN MANIK - 7777027
HASSAN NASHID - 7904189
HATHIM MOHMAED - 7500613
HUSSAIN HAMEED - 7737390
HUSSAIN MAUMOON ISMaIL - 7793213
IBRAHIM IQBAL - 7754731
IBRAHI MOHAMED - 7878183
IBRAHIM THAUFEEG - 7782245
ISMAIL IZHAAN - 7942440
ISMAIL MUAZ - 7664770
JAUFAR RASHEED - 7753145
MOHMAED ANIL - 7797778
MOHMAED FAREED - 7796649
MOHAMED NASEEM - 7763067
MOHAMED SINAN - 7783746
MOHAMAED RASHEED - 7741037
MOHMAED WAHEED - 7777633
RIYAZ RASHEED - 7771331
RUSHDULLA IBRAHIM - 9949416
SAUDULLA IBRAHIM - 9891233
ZAKARIYA BUSHRY - 7757060
AMINATH VISHAMA - 7749555
AREESHA RIZA - 7913438 / 7743438
FADHUWA ZAHIR - 7773267
MARIYAM MOHMAED - 7786900

Registration is welcome to all referees and all those who have temporary lay-off to be active again. This will boost the refereeing family to develop into a group of respected people in the football arena, InsyaAllah - Amir Sharifuddin Wong (Director, Referees Department).

Referee FITNESS PROGRAM

REFEREES FITNESS PROGRAMS

All this activities are at Low Intensity
This activities focus on Intermittent Work-Out


DAY 1
After warming up & stretching exercises
Running from goal line to goal line for 20 sec – 22sec.
Rest until time complete 1 minute (between 38 sec – 40 sec).
Run back from goal line to goal line for same timing and same resting period.
Repeat for 20 times running.

DAY 2 (using running track or field of play)
After warming up & stretching exercises
Run at 60% speed for 1 minute. Walk for 1 minute. Repeat 12 laps.

DAY 3 (set two cones 70 m apart)
After warming up & stretching exercises
3 sets : 6 repetitions X (70m+70m) Run from cone to cone and turn back at the speed of 30 sec.
Rest is 30 sec between repetitions.
One set = 840 m. Rest between sets is 3 minutes.

DAY 4 (Diagonal Training)
Start moderate speed running diagona from corner flag to alternate corner flag,
Jog behind the goal line and run from the other corner flag to the alternate flag,
jog along the goal line to starting point (to complete 1 lap). Repeat for 10 laps.

DAY 5 (using running tracks)
Rehabilitation training 15 X 200m low speed running (200m for 1 minute) and 100m fast walking for 1 minute.

DAY 6
Run 200 m for 35sec-40sec. Fast walk for 100 m and repeat until 12 laps.

DAY 7
Rest

DAY 8
2 sets running moderate speed from goal line goal area line and jog back to goal line
Run to centre line and jog back to goal area line.
Run to opposite penalty area line and jog back to centre line.
Run to opposite goal line. Walk back to starting point and repeat 5 times to complete 1 set.
Rest between set is 5 minutes.

DAY 9
Referees run in pair. Moderate speed. 1st pair run from S to 1 and back, S to 2 and back. and rest. Follow by 2nd pair. After 2nd pair reach S, 1st pair run from S to 2 and back, S to 3 and back, S to 4 and back, and rest. Follow by 2nd pair. After 2nd pair reach S, 1st pair run from S to 4 and back, S to 5 and back, S to 6 and back, S to 1 and back, and rest, follow by 2nd pair. Complete 1 lap. Repeat for 3 laps. Rest between lap 3 minutes.

A ...............................................B



D.................................................C


DAY 10 (refer to diagram above - distanca penalty area line to penalty area line)
Run from A to B for 15 sec, fast walk to C, run from C to D for 15 sec.
Complete 1 lap, repeat until 10 laps for 1 set.
Rest between set is 5 minutes.
Start second set.

DAY 11
150m for 30 sec, walk 50m for 1 minute. Repeat for 20 times.

DAY 12
Easy long run for 30 minutes.

DAY 13
200m for 40 sec, rest 1 minute. Repeat for 10 times.

DAY 14
Rest


DAY 15

S...............20m.............A...................30m....................B.................40 m...............C

Run in moderate speed. S to A and walk back to S,
Run from S to B and walk back to S,
Run to C and walk back to S.
Repeat for 15 times


DAY 16
Run from goal line to goal line and turn back to starting point for 45 sec to 50 sec.
Rest 1 minute. Repeat for 15 times.

DAY 17
2 sets: 6 X 200m (40 sec), rest 1 minute. Rest between set is 5 minutes.

DAY 18
Same like day 2, (10 laps)

DAY 19
Rest

DAY 20
INTERMITTENT TEST


Prepared by
Noor Anuar Abdullah Shani
Ipoh Perak, Malaysia
25 December 2008

Modified by,
Amir Sharifuddin Wong
Director, Referees Department FAM

2009 FIFA Match Officials

The presentation of FIFA 2009 badges will held on the 14th January 2009 at 3.00 pm at the FAM House. The FAM President, Mr Ali Azim will be presenting the badges to FIFA Match Officials of Maldives. Vice Chairman, Mr. Mohamed Rasheed and General Secretary, Shah Ismail will be present too.
Fifa Referees, Ali Saleem, Riyaz Rasheed and Fifa Assistant Referees, Ahmed Ameez and Ibrahim Thaufeeq will be attending the AFC Elite Referee Seminar scheduled in February 2009 but they required to first qualify themselves by getting through their fitness test scheduled on the 24th January 2009 in Male'. This is a requirement by AFC to all Member Associations (MA). Other FIFA match officials are Ali Adhil (referee), Mohamad Fareed, Ahmad Aslam and Mohamad Anil (Assistant Referees).

Referees Training for the New Seasons

When the teams were busy with their training at both the turfs, preparing for the new seasons, the referees do not want to be left aside in their preparation too. At 6.45 pm some of the referees gathered today (Monday) at the athletic ground, after warming up they were off with their training based on the schedule tailored for them by the new Director of Referees. Emphasis is on building their anaerobic capacity, appropriate for the match proper and also for the new FIFA intermittent physical fitness test. The Director is confident that other senior referees are also at their own training as they will have to face the annual fitness test on the 24th of January 2009.

HSBC for the RICH only

I am a loyal HSBC Credit Card holder (VISA and MASTER) and also with a saving account in Malaysia. Today I had a funny encounter of my life. I wanted to sign up for a saving account in HSBC Male' as I am working here. The lady officer told me that I have to deposit MRf 10,000 and it has to be in the account at all time. If it is less than the amount for the month, MRf 50 will be charged. Imagine I am charge for using my own money. This also implied that only rich people can save in HSBC? So I guess HSBC do not want my business so I am taking it elsewhere, the Bank of Maldives, of course. So am I right in saying that HSBC is only for the RICH?

Training for Fitness

All referees are welcome for the fitness training held in the main turf and also athletic/cricket ground starting 1 January 2009 at 645 pm. as you all know the Preparatory Seminar for Referees before the season will include the FIFA Fitness test on the 24 January 2009. So the training is aimed to build up the referees fitness for the test and also to be prepare for a better season of refereeing in this 2009 season. InsyaAllah, a fit referee is always a better referee.