The Ghana Football Association (GFA) has intensified its drive to strengthen football officiating by hosting the FIFA Member Association (MA) Young Talent Refereeing Course at the Ghanaman Soccer Centre of Excellence in Prampram.
The capacity-building programme has brought together some of the country’s most promising young referees for intensive technical, tactical and physical training as part of FIFA’s efforts to develop the next generation of elite match officials. The initiative also aligns with the GFA’s long-term vision of creating a sustainable pathway for referees to progress through the ranks.
Speaking during the opening ceremony, GFA President Kurt Edwin Simeon-Okraku stressed that developing young referees remains one of the Association’s key priorities, noting that the programme complements the Federation’s Catch Them Young Refereeing Policy, which was introduced to rebuild Ghana’s refereeing structure following the challenges that affected officiating in previous years.
The course is being facilitated by FIFA Technical Instructor Essameldin Abdelfattah Hassan Abdelhamid of Egypt and FIFA Physical Instructor Boubakar Hannachi of Tunisia, who will equip participants with the knowledge and skills required to officiate at the highest levels of the game.
The GFA believes the programme will play a vital role in producing more referees capable of earning appointments in the Ghana Premier League, CAF competitions and FIFA tournaments, while ensuring the country’s officiating standards continue to improve in the years ahead.