Former players affiliated with a federation will have direct access to a referee’s career, without an age limit, the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF) and the professional players’ union agreed on Friday through a cooperation protocol.
The protocol, signed by the Arbitration Board of the FPF and by the Association of Professional Footballers, at the Players Campus in Odivelas, only provides for attendance at a 20-hour training action.
The Arbitration Board will use the Player’s Academy facilities for the training and education of the referees and is committed to making young referees available to participate in events organized by the Association, the protocol also states.
Fontelas Gomes, chairman of the Arbitration Board, said the agreement was “interesting for both sides”.
“On the one hand, we now have another way to counter the lack of referees in Portuguese football, by directly helping the district and regional associations, which now have more referees for their competitions, and on the other hand, the former players get another professional exit, allowing them to stay connected to football”he said.
The president of the Union of Players, Joaquim Evangelista, emphasized the “dedication to the football refereeing profession, which requires more people interested in making careers and strengthening national teams”just like the “supporting the career transition for players, full of challenges and, in some areas of sport, with clearly higher demand than vacancies”.
Source: DN
