By Ibrahim Karim Bangura (Tanko)

Ahead of the 2023/24 Sierra Leone Primer League season, the referees’ department at the Sierra Leone Football Association, headed by Franklyn Marrah, during the weekend held a one-day refreshers training for over 200 Elite Referees and Assessors at the SLFA Headquarters, Kingtom in  Freetown.

The training aimed at bringing local referees up to speed with the evolving trend of the rules of football as SLFA prepares to unleash the biggest football spell in the country’s history though there are challenges over the years.

Speaking to some of the referees, they said the tournament is highly challenging because football is a game of passion and deep feeling and some spectators have premeditated thought for referees. “Our job is at risk, we are prone to danger because the stadiums are substandard especially in the provinces”, they said.

However, the female referees also expressed similar concerns with regards the condition of the fields across the country. “We’re calling on SLFA and the Premier league Board to do the needful, our career is at risk, and some of our colleagues were humiliated during the past seasons due to the porosity of the fields,” they asked.