Al Ain Hosts “Refereeing” Workshop Organized by UAEFA and PLC
In cooperation with UAEFA, the PLC organized the “Refereeing” Workshop at the conference roof of Khalifa bin Zayed Stadium in Al Ain Club as part of the AFC requirements for licensing clubs and to educate all clubs’ staffs on the recent changes and amendments to the laws of the football game.
Mr. Stephen Graham Bennett, Head Coach of Referees at UAEFA, delivered an informative and rich presentation to first and reserved teams’ players and Al Ain Club’s technical, administrative and medical staffs.
During the workshop, Mr. Bennett introduced several critical and debatable cases and situations using video clips and photos. He also tackled all the recent changes and amendments to the laws of the Arabian Gulf Cup including coaches are allowed to use a 4th substitution if a match goes to extra time.
Mr. Benet also highlighted that the referee committees review and analyze all matches of all rounds of the league and cup matches on a weekly basis to identify mistakes committed by players which the referee did not see, notice or notified by. He also stressed the fact that during the analysis, referees identify aggressive players committing serious and dangerous fouls against the opponent with the aim to protect players on the pitch.
As for VAR technology, he addressed all situations that requires the video assistant referee to interfere. He put an accent on the fact that players should not protest or challenge the referee’s decision or asking him to see the video to avoid warning cards. He signed off by inviting all players to be cooperative with referees to keep them focus on the match and players’ actions as this would assist them to take the right decisions.
