The Asian Football Confederation’s three day Referee Director Workshop for 2015 concluded on Sunday 9^th with those attending being told that the AFC fully intends to build on its previous refereeing successes.
 
The workshop centred around discussions and presentations on several technical aspects and the correct approach to modern refereeing, as well as an overview of the Asian referees who appeared at the recent Men’s and Women’s World Cups and a highly informative ‘Regional Meeting’ which provided a valuable platform on which to exchange views and experiences.
 
In his closing address, AFC Referees Committee Deputy Chairman Hany Ballan, while praising the success of the workshop, stressed the need for continual improvement, adding that the need to nurture up and coming officials was paramount.
 
“There is always room for improvement,” he said.
 
“This is a very important message, because if you don’t improve you will simply stand still. Because of this approach, this desire to improve, the AFC Referees Department is going from strength to strength.
 
“I really would like everybody to think about this, and ask themselves: “Do we really need to improve”? The answer is yes, everyone needs to improve. We need to improve. We are very ambitious and have lots of ambition and hope. We want to do the best for AFC Referees. They are the core of Asian referees. We want to do the best for you.
 
“The AFC Referees Committee will always support you,” Ballan went on to explain.
 
“We will stand firmly to develop all aspects of refereeing and we need Asian referees to be number one in the world. Not only in terms of development, but also in terms of producing young and talented referees.
 
“I have always believed that referees are the most important person in the refereeing circle. It is not us, not the instructors and not the assessors. Everyone has to work for the referees. Their success is our success. Their development is our development. Their progression is our success.
 
"We need to take care of them well. We need to be fair to them. We need to provide them the best opportunities, the best training, the best support, as well as better and better matches with which to develop their performance.”
 
Speaking on behalf of the representatives from 40 Member Associations who attended the workshop, Ben Wilson, Director of Referees at the Football Federation of Australia, said that those present had not only learned a lot from the formal presentations by the top instructors and guest speakers, but also from each other during informal sessions outside the classroom.
 
"We have had a great opportunity to strengthen our network. The AFC has planted a seed in each MA and also given us the nutrients in which to aid the growth of referee administration and development in all our countries," said Wilson.