The Asian Football Confederation organized the penultimate advanced training course for the fourth batch of the continental federation’s referees academy, in the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur.
The five-day course witnessed the participation of 39 referees from various national federations that are members of the AFC, and included intensive training sessions aimed at enhancing the participants’ decision-making abilities, in addition to physical fitness training.
The opening day of the course focused mainly on theoretical topics, seeking to gauge participants’ understanding of the changing nature of football, which included in-depth discussions on the duties expected of referees on the pitch, as well as the speed of the modern game and its impact on refereeing.
The following days saw the referees undergo a variety of practical sessions, including an intermittent yo-yo test, in addition to many other physical activities aimed at refining their levels of speed, agility and endurance. The referees also participated in matches, in order to improve their movement and positioning on the field. .
The program also included several lectures that allowed participants to receive valuable insights on key topics, such as how to maintain a neutral mindset when refereeing, the four pillars of refereeing, understanding intentional and unintentional handball, and delivering a world-class performance.
Among the most prominent activities of the course are a series of sessions designed to test the participants’ benefit from the lectures in which they participated, through in-depth analyzes of match situations in the AFC U-23 Cup Qatar 2024, and the group stage matches in the AFC Women’s Champions League 2024/2025.
Other topics discussed in this session included ways to prevent injuries, in order to ensure the longevity of a referee’s career, and hone their ability to raise their position during critical moments of the match.
It is noteworthy that the AFC Referees Academy will organize a course for the fifth batch from October 14 to 18.
The Asian Football Confederation is the first continental federation to launch a dedicated academy for referees, and since its launch in 2017, up to 201 male and female referees have graduated from 39 national federations.