Courtesy: OFC Web Site


Fiji brimming with official talent

Fiji’s pool of officials continues to be recognised on an international scale with Amitesh Behari the latest to depart on World Cup duties this week.

Fijian futsal referee Amitesh Behari, here with his father Suresh,
will officiate at the FIFA Futsal World Cup in Thailand.

After a successful stint at the 2008 FIFA Futsal World Cup in Brazil, Behari has regained his spot and will be amongst the top referee talent in the world when he arrives in Thailand on Friday for the 2012 World Cup.

The Solomon Islands’ Kurukuru will be in Thailand representing Oceania on the court, while compatriot Rex Kamusu will also be officiating at his first FIFA Futsal World Cup.

Behari began refereeing competitive futsal matches in 1995 after witnessing his father Suresh, also a FIFA futsal referee, in action.

He says he has strong memories of his time at the previous tournament, particularly the 3-0 win by Spain, who went on to finish runners-up, over Libya.

Fiji FA Futsal Commission secretary Jainedra Sukhu congratulated Behari on his selection and wishes him well for the tournament.

“It is noted that this is his second appointment at a FIFA Futsal World Cup and it is a great achievement for him and futsal in Fiji,” Sukhu says.

“The Solomon Islands will also participate in the World Cup so we wish them all the best in representing our Oceania region.”

Behari joins a growing list of Fiji referees who are being chosen to officiate within the Oceania region and further afield.

Earlier this year, Ravinesh Kumar became the first Fijian to officiate at an Olympic Games and he has also been an assistant referee alongside Rakesh Varman and Andrew Achari during the recent Oceania qualifiers for the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

More recently, Finau Vulivuli has returned from overseeing several matches as a referee and as a fourth official at the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup.

The success of Fiji’s officials, and others in Oceania, can be attributed to the region’s FIFA-funded Refereeing Assistance Programme (RAP), which aims to produce world-class match officials.

For more on Fiji football go to www.fijifootball.com.fj






Posted by Luca Ranocchiari --> luca.ranocchiari@futsalplanet.com