An unprecedented step will change the face of refereeing in the region: The 27th Arabian Gulf Cup competitions, scheduled for September, will feature neutral refereeing crews brought in from Europe, with others to be selected through activating an agreement with the African Football Confederation. This revelation came during a decisive meeting of the tournament’s refereeing committee, held on the sidelines of the ‘Gulf Cup 27’ draw in historic Jeddah.
The meeting was chaired by Hani Taleb Blan, head of the refereeing committee of the Arabian Gulf Cup Federation, with the attendance of committee members and its center Ahmed Al-Attar. During the session, the initial list of nominated referees from participating federations was reviewed, along with the approved mechanism for determining referee assessors and match officiating crews.
Attendees confirmed a plan to organize intensive courses for referees and discussed ways to present the tournament “in the best refereeing image.” The committee also reviewed the invitation for nominations from representatives of the Asian and African federations, and worked on developing the technical level.
Blan expressed great satisfaction with the meeting’s outcomes, which featured purposeful and constructive discussion, praising the Saudi Arabian Football Federation and the organizing committee for hosting. He noted that the meeting addressed the committee’s agenda and activities over the past season, and presented a report on the level of refereeing in the organized tournaments, which—according to the report—passed “without any impactful refereeing errors.”
The committee head explained that the refereeing system in the Gulf Federation enjoys tremendous support from the federation’s president, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa bin Ahmed Al Thani. He emphasized the continuation of refereeing programs to develop officials and expand the application of video technology across all tournaments, where a detailed report on the Gulf Club Champions League was presented, praising the referees’ performance.
Blan revealed clear criteria and technical performance standards that were agreed upon for selecting the refereeing crews for ‘Gulf Cup 27’. Based on this, the final list will be determined and announced, to be ready for next September’s competitions. He pointed out that the selection of some neutral crews will follow, with the activation of the agreement signed between the Gulf Federation and the African Football Confederation to attract referees from Africa, and the selection of some referees from Asia or other continents.
The meeting also discussed the basic requirements for referees in technical, technological, logistical, and medical aspects. Blan indicated that the mechanism for selecting technical instructors and video technology lecturers who will oversee the preparation and training of tournament referees was also discussed.
Jeddah
Arabian Gulf Cup Federation
Saudi Arabian Football Federation
Jeddah
Arabian Gulf Cup Federation
Saudi Arabian Football Federation
African Football Confederation
Gulf Club Champions League
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