Futsal referees get update on law changes

FIFA Instructor Shane Butler has returned to Guyana to refresh the futsal referee community’s knowledge and engage new enthusiasts in the game, during a three-day FIFA Futsal Instructors Workshop which officially opened on Monday.
A total of thirteen attendees, featuring two women and two futsal referees from Suriname, were present on the first day of futsal theory sessions on October 23, with Butler and FIFA Referee Development Officer Javier Santos at the Guyana Olympic Association (GOA) at Plantation Liliendaal in Greater Georgetown.
In his brief opening remarks, Butler shared that there is a wealth of opportunities for referees from the Concacaf region for upcoming international tournaments, but they must be physically fit, have a comprehensive grasp of the game’s rules, and a deep understanding of the sport.
“During the three days, we are going to cover some basic stuff, so we are all on the same page…(and) some advanced stuff (including) law changes over the last two years,” he said.
He encouraged participants Colin Abel, Micah Erskine, Keith Roberts, Marineika Welcome, Anthony Adams, Eion Rodney, Mitera Thomas, Dwayne McKinnon, Abdulla Hamid, Wayne Griffith, Otis Williams, Anthony Terburg (Suriname), Preshant Autar (Suriname) to display a strong commitment throughout the course.
Guyana Football Federation (GFF) President Wayne Forde added that the workshop exemplifies the importance of camaraderie within football with the attendance of the two Surinamese futsal referees.
“The importance of solidarity within football is evident by having two of our colleagues from neighbouring Suriname’s participation in the programme. We play a lot of futsal football here in Guyana, and I know we are always getting feedback that the laws that govern futsal are not being properly applied by the referee officiating the game,” he said.

“Growing and building capacity is a duty of the Guyana Football Federation, and it is the responsibility of our officials to be a part of that process,” he said.
The top GFF official also encouraged the group to “be as engaging as possible”, and to make sure that “at the end of this programme, you are able to grow and lift the quality of the tournaments that we are going to be running over the next couple of months and years.”
The FIFA Futsal Instructors Course is specifically crafted to furnish futsal instructors with a comprehensive understanding of the technical and tactical aspects of the sport. In order to advance the growth of futsal in Guyana, these instructors are encouraged to disseminate this invaluable expertise among other coaches operating at the national level.
GFF Refereeing Project Officer Lenval Peart expressed his satisfaction with the participation of women in the workshop, and emphasised that one of his department’s objectives is to increase the number of female instructors in the game.