The Gambia Football Referees Association last Sunday held a cooper test for its members at the Independence Stadium in Bakau.

In an interview with Pointsports yesterday, shortly before leaving for Sierra Leone, Badou Jassey, chairman of The Gambia Football Referees Association, stated that the cooper test was meant to check the physical fitness of the referees. He noted that during the intensive exercise 18 referees were able to make it to the first division and this number includes second division referees whnao successfully made it through to the first division.

He also disclosed that Momodou Sowe, a renowned Gambian referee, and Lamin Camara will retire at the end of this year from FIFA and they will be replaced.

Mr. Jassey said that after the cooper test the association will send six names of referees and seven assistants to FIFA for their final approval. He added that initially the association used to send four names of referees and seven assistants but now Gambian football is developing they need more Gambian. “This will all depend on the approval of FIFA who will decide whether to leave it at four or increase the number of referees to six,” he noted.