By Nilanjan Datta,
AIFF Media Team

NEW DELHI: The three-day AFC Refereeing Development Pilot Project for Member Associations ended at All India Football Federation Headquarters, Football House.

The Project which aims at setting up a goal for Indian Referees was attended by AFC and AIFF personnel including Abdul Razzak, Head of Section Operation, AFC Referee’s Department; Shuichiro Hara, Administrator, Referees Department; Amit Deb, Chairman, Referee’s Board, AIFF and Goutam Kar, Head, Referees Department amongst others.

“The purpose of our visit is to assist AIFF to streamline the Administration in Refereeing like Registration Development System etc,” Razak informed www.the-aiff.com. “It’s our goal to see Indian Referees at par with Asia’s best and simultaneously kick-off a total development of Referees in the Nation,” he added.

“The pool needs to be wider so that there are more choices for selection. The best among the best will to be chosen to Officiate a match. The more the options, the better the quality,” Razak maintained.

Hara added: “We will be constantly monitoring the progress and have planned half-yearly visits to India every year.”

Apart from India, Asian Football Confederation is simultaneously launching the Project in three more countries, Myanmar, Oman and Jordan.

Amit Deb thanked the AFC for their support. “We are grateful to AFC and thank them for their continous support. Referee’s Development stays a priority and AIFF will leave no stone unturned for overall development of Indian Referees,” he declared.

Razak, meanwhile, was all praise for AIFF Referees Department. “We at AFC now feel that AIFF has achieved almost 75 percent of our expectations. The balance can be achieved in the next couple of years,” he opined.

Under the Project the AFC wouldn’t be granting any financial help but their “expertise” will help to streamline the system.

“We have the experience and the advantage or working and knowing many successful Member Associations. We are here to share the success story and urge AIFF to follow walk the same path,” Razak said.

FIFA Referee Pratap Singh and Anup Kumar from Referees Department also attended the Workshop.