Refereeing not a profession, says FIFA referee

Linus Mba, retired FIFA badged referee and adviser to FIFA on referee matters, on Thursday says refereeing is not a profession but a hobby.

Mba told our reporter that referees ought to have defined professions outside refereeing.

He said that Nigerian men and women who were referees must have source of livelihood before doing well as referees.

“In other climes, people go into refereeing out of passion and not for the money.

“Many referees in Europe have defined professions through which they make ends meet,” Mba said.

The FIFA adviser urged referees to see the job as a hobby and not profession, saying it was paramount for unbiased and fair officiating.

He explained that it was wrong for referees to anchor hopes of livelihood on refereeing.

According to him, only passion is the driving force behind good referees and not the remuneration.

It was reported that there have been calls from some people for improvement of referees’ welfare.