National Referees Association conducts successful first quarter fitness exercises in Northern Region

Malawi-The National Referees Association conducted its first quarter fitness exercises in the Northern Region over the weekend, where more than 100 referees took part, writes Victor Musongole.

65 referees attended the exercise in Mzuzu on Sunday, where 55 passed the exercise, while on Saturday, 37 took part in Karonga, where only 5 failed the test.

Speaking after the exercise, FAM Referees Fitness Trainer Moffat Champiti said the number of referees who passed the training was encouraging.

"A good number of referees have passed the exercise, and we had a number of young stars who have passed the training, which shows that we have a great future," Champiti said.

FAM's Referees Development Officer Frederick Khoropa said the exercise gave referees of all ages the opportunity to take part in the exercise. He further encouraged the referees to also focus on education.

"We had a good exercise in the north here, and it's very encouraging to see youngsters taking part and passing the exercise. The future is bright; we had some under 14, and 15 going up. I have also encouraged the referees to concentrate on education because we are responsible for the laws of interpretation, so only those familiar with the language can do better," Nkoropa said.

However, some of the high-ranked referees failed to make it to Mzuzu, including Fifa referees Eliza Sichinga, Jonazio Luiz, and Ella Chikalamba.

Sichinga failed to make it to the final mark in the final tenth lap with just 3 metres to reach the finishing line.