Local referees get FIFA badges

Seven local referees received their FIFA badges for 2018 at the Ato Boldon Stadium in Couva, yesterday. One of those officials who got a badge was Crystal Sobers, who will be the only TT official to participate at the FIFA Women’s Under-20 Championships in Trinidad, from January 18-28.

At a press conference held at the Ato Boldon Stadium yesterday, Sobers and Cecile Hinds received their FIFA women’s referee badges, while Evelyn Carissa Jacobs-Douglas received her FIFA women’s assistant referee badge.

Among the men, Rodphin Harris earned his FIFA referee badge, while the trio of Caleb Wales, Ainsley Rochard and Joseph Bertrand got FIFA assistant referee badges.

After receiving the badge, Sobers said she was glad all the hard work paid off. “It is about personal development. It is what you want from refereeing. I am passionate about football, so being a referee, it will help me with my drive towards this passion that I have for football. This badge (I received) is after a year of work. This year you had a lot of courses, fitness tests and technical work we had to do,” Sobers said.

Sobers said she is proud to be TT’s only representative at the Under-20 CONCACAF Championships, but said it would have been great to have a team of local officials. “I feel proud, but I would have been more proud if I had a full team of TT officials with me. But I am really proud of my hard word for the past three years because 2018 is my fourth year on the panel. Getting the badge is the easiest part, but the work behind it is not.”