FAM sends six young referees to study in Saudi Arabia

KUALA LUMPUR - The Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) is committed to improving the quality of local match officials when it sends the country’s six young referees to study in Dammam, Saudi Arabia starting tomorrow until Oct 27.

They are Tuan Mohd Yaasin Tuan Mohd Hanafiah, Muhammad Izzul Fikri Kamaruzaman, Mohamad Kamil Zakaria Ismail and Muhammad Munir Mohd Izam and assistant referees, Kesava Raj S Neelamagan and Mohd Shafiq Ahmad Said.

The initiative will see all of them undergo additional Video Referee Assistance (VAR) courses and practical training in line with the mission of FAM president Datuk Hamidin Mohd Amin who wants more referees to gain knowledge abroad.

"Hopefully, the knowledge gained in Saudi Arabia can be beneficial to their tasks, especially in enhancing the quality of the national football," he said in a post on FAM's Facebook today.

According to the message, the selection was made based on good performance and commitment shown in the Malaysian League (M-League) as well as throughout the VAR training in this country.

FAM also said the governing body’s deputy president and Referees Committee chairman, Datuk S. Sivasundaram, also supported the effort, stating that he would continue to ensure that more young referees were given training and exposure at international level.

In the meantime, FAM hopes that more people would follow the footsteps of the referee, Muhammad Nazmi Nasaruddin and his two assistants, Mohamad Zairul Khalil Tan and Mohd Arif Shamil Abd Rasid who will be on duty at the 2023 Asian Cup in Qatar in January.

FAM is also currently conducting VAR training for 40 referees in preparation for the 2024/2025 M-League. - BERNAMA