By Tiadi Blair
Seventeen of 37 local referees were unable to pass a fitness test carried out by FIFA referee and physical instructor Merere Gonzales recently.
So said Guyana Football Federation’s Referees Committee and Competition Co-ordinator Lawrence Griffith during an interview with Stabroek Sports.
In the test which would have allowed the referees to become accredited by FIFA, the participants were required to walk 100m within 35 seconds and run 50 metres in 30 seconds repeating the two tasks on 10 occasions.
According to Griffith after reviewing the results much work was required to get those who failed the test up to the required standard.
“This shows clearly that the referees are not taking the fitness aspect seriously because the players train every afternoon, players are younger and the referees are older and the referees should train harder and more intensely,” he opined.
“To become an international referee the test has to be passed without compromise,” he added.
The referees will get another chance to redeem themselves on September 19.
This time around Griffith said the tests will be conducted by himself, Lindley Langhorne and Roy Mc Arthur and will be reduced to a mere five laps.
Griffith warned that if the participants fail this second test the GFF will take serious action.
“The GFF and the Football referees Council will be looking at this very seriously and will be taking some strong measures in implementing the fitness and very shortly referees who fail to reach a certain requirement will find themselves not officiating at the highest level in Guyana. They will be relegated to the junior divisions.”
Additionally FIFA will hold an eight day Referees Assistant Program (RAP) in the last week in November. This will be followed by another fitness run to be conducted by the three FIFA referees.
The GFF, Griffith said, will ensure that these tests take place at least three to four times per annum.
The officials who completed the test were Selwyn Blair, Stanley Lancaster, Venton Mars, Dion Inniss, Rollin Tappin, Nykasie Liverpool, Odessa Caleb, Nicola Joseph, Christopher Joseph, Sherwin Johnson, Cleon Lindie, Joel Weeks, Mark Young, Franklyn Brisport-Luke, Albert Duncan, Kayode Lambert, Miguel Vieira, Dion Feassal, Maurees Skeete and Leonard Boyce. Seventeen officials did not complete the test.
