Lagos referee council training officer, Abduljelili Ogunmuyiwa has revealed the extent and nature of their training activities since the ease from lockdown as he expresses the unusual training modes with Referees initially training in their various compound until the first phase of the partial ease beginning from monitoring their activities, training on the street void of the crowd.
Ogunmuyiwa posited in an online chat with sports247.ng that after the first phase of ease, the referees made use of their street, available spaces to train as they trained only or with family members with the exclusion of external persons in strict compliance with safety protocols.
“We faced quite a handful of challenges during the lockdown without activities; Laziness, idleness, also difficulty in accessing the full details of our members before the lockdown hence not able to monitor their development or their training.”
“Their respective local society ought to have been communicating with them. We couldn’t mount pressure as we too need to follow government directives on safety.”
“With the League set to kick-off, the preparedness of referees will be in check because obviously, there was no time the development of referees weren’t followed up. There have been a series of virtual lectures on the amendment and application of the laws of the game. At the state level, like Lagos for example, virtual lectures were organized to keep referees informed of the development of the game.”
The Lagos referee training officer further revealed his excitement for the nomination into the African beach soccer committee, he said, “I think it is going to be a big plus considering that no matter the technical and developmental decisions to be taken at the union that I won’t be a part and being a part will give me the opportunity of using Nigeria situations in taking and/or supporting the decision, he emphasized.”
