By Mohamed Jaward Nyallay
Referees Coordinator, Mohamed Gwen Freeman, has said they have trained four female referees who would officiate Sierra Leone Premier League matches for the first time in the league’s history.
Freeman made the announcement during the launch of the league on Saturday at the Radisson Blu Mammy Yoko Hotel in Freetown.
“This is the first time we are getting female referees. We have a quartet of them. Because of their performance during the last MA course, the FIFA guys suggested those ladies to be part of the Premier League and recommend them to FIFA in 2020,” he told Politico shortly after the launch.
Adama Turay, Humu Marah, Precious Amara and Fatmata Mansaray are among 22 women who had already been trained by the refereeing association. The four women were named alongside 22 of their male counterparts as center referees for the 2019/2020 premier league season.
Last season serious criticisms were directed at referees following a string of bad officiating in the first half of the league. Freeman said: “I want to assure you that this year you will have the very best in officiating.”
The quartet of women are going to be under the spotlight considering this is the first time they will be officiating matches in the country’s top tier league. But Freeman said this doesn’t change how they are treated, especially with regards the matches they are selected to officiate.
“They are going to have the same treatment as their male counterparts. We gave them the same training. They did the same fitness test that the male referees did and the technical exams. So, we are going to blend them so they can work together as a team,” Freeman said.
Adama, Humu, Precious and Fatmata have a chance to inspire a generation of women and girls to follow their path.
Copyright © 2019 Politico Online
