Doha: The Referee Candidate Seminar for the FIFA Women’s World Cup France 2019™ concluded at the home of the Qatar Football Association (QFA) in Doha on Friday 16 February with a closing ceremony which took place at the Intercontinental Hotel Doha.

The closing ceremony was attended by Pierluigi Collina, Chairman of the Referees’ Committee at FIFA, Hani Ballan, Vice Chairman of FIFA Referees’ Committee, Chairman of AFC Referees’ Committee, and Chairman of QFA Referees’ Committee, Massimo Busacca, FIFA Director of Refereeing, Neji Jouini, Executive Director of the QFA Referees Committee and Kari Seitz, FIFA’s Senior Manager of Refereeing.

The seminar was held in Doha from 12 to 16 February and witnessed the participation of 33 candidate referees representing all 6 confederations and 56 countries.

The purpose of the five-day preparatory workshop is to allow the referees to prepare as a team in the build-up to the tournament
Candidate referees will take the opportunity during the preparation period to convince the members of the FIFA Referees Committee of their skills before the final assignments are made for France 2019, which will take place from 7 June to 7 July.

Only a limited number of match officials will be selected to officiate in the FIFA Women’s World Cup France 2019™, and this will be based on their fitness, technical ability and football understanding.

The seminar prepared the referees by allowing them to undergo practical training with players, fitness testing, video tests, theoretical and practical sessions throughout the week.
The referees’ practical training with players took place at Qatar Sports Club every day throughout the seminar duration.

Theoretical sessions included lectures on improving football understanding, positioning, challenges and tactical fouls, and fitness presentations.

Speaking at the closing ceremony, Pierluigi Collina, Chairman of the Referees’ Committee at FIFA thanked the QFA for hosting the seminar in Qatar and for providing assistance to ensure the success of the seminar. He also said that this is the first time he participates in a women referee seminar, and that the reason is possibly because the seminar is held in Qatar which is key reason for his presence and participation. He expressed his happiness about being part of the seminar, and that this seminar has confirmed to him that women referees undergo the same tests, and preparations as the men referees, and follow the same criteria that used for evaluation of the referees.

He said: “That this is the only referee seminar held this year and therefore is given lots of importance. Next year, however, there will be more than one preparatory seminar to prepare you for the Women’s World Cup in France in 2019. You must work hard and continue to work hard, because reaching success is easy but keeping that success is the challenge.”

Hani Ballan, Vice Chairman of FIFA Referees’ Committee, Chairman of AFC Referees’ Committee, and Chairman of QFA Referees’ Committee said: “I am very happy to be here with you today and thank FIFA for organising this important seminar here in Doha. I wish you success in your career and hope that you benefitted from the seminar as part of your preparation for the FIFA Women’s World Cup France 2019™.”

He added: “I am very happy with the FIFA’s confidence in the country’s capabilities to host this seminar and a series of FIFA seminars in Qatar this month. Throughout the week, 33 referees from all 6 confederations and 56 countries have benefitted from both theoretical and practical sessions, while having the opportunity to discuss and share their experience and expertise in the refereeing world.”

When asked about the absence of Arab referees from the seminar, Ballan said it was not up to FIFA, but to the member associations that are required to organise strong championships. He said that the last World Cup in Canada did witness the participation of a Moroccan assistant referee, and hoped to see more Arab referees present during the future tournaments.

Massimo Busacca, FIFA Director of Refereeing commented: “Congratulations on the level that you have showed during this seminar. I am happy that you endured the hard work during the period of the seminar, which although is not more than five days, but the work was great and challenging.”

Busacca called on the referees to continue their efforts and hard work in the coming period until the World Cup in France in 2019, and assured them that the FIFA referees committee would stand with them and give them all the support they need to reach the level that qualifies them to officiate at the highest level in the World Cup matches.

Kari Seitz, FIFA’s Senior Manager of Refereeing thanked the Qatar Football Association (QFA), QFA Referees Committee and the Qatar Sports Club for providing all the support and assistance to the FIFA to ensure the success of this seminar. She also congratulated the referees on the impressive levels they showed during the five-day seminar during which they exerted great efforts, adding that this was what she expected because they knew their potential and strong determination.

The Referee Candidate Seminar for the FIFA Women’s World Cup France 2019™ is the third of four seminars organised by FIFA and hosted by the QFA in Qatar this month. The last FIFA seminar will be the FIFA Master FUTURO which is set to take place next week from 19-23 February. The seminar will witness the attendance of FIFA referee technical and fitness instructors.

Previous workshops that were held in Qatar at the beginning of the month include the FIFA Technical Experts’ Workshop 2018 which took place from 30 January to 2 February, and the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia™ Candidate Referees Seminar which took place from 5- 9 February.