Abdelhak Al Qirqouri, the newly appointed head of the Central Arbitration Committee, succeeding Abderrahim Al Mutamani, who resigned, has outlined his ambitious plans to revitalize the sector in the medium term.
Speaking to “Hesport,” Al Qirqouri revealed that one of the main focuses of his project for the committee is to develop youth referees who will enter the field from an early age, thus opening avenues for Moroccan refereeing representation in major international competitions.
The spokesperson highlighted the current challenge of ensuring a young replacement pool of referees who receive international badges at a young age, allowing them sufficient time to prove themselves regionally and internationally.
“I am a former international referee, well aware of the sector’s challenges.
Personally, I obtained the international badge at the age of 37, seven years before retirement, a period that is not sufficient to establish oneself before continental and international bodies,” remarked Al Qirqouri.
Al Qirqouri stressed his commitment to swiftly address and resolve refereeing issues, stating, “On my first day in office, I have taken charge of the daily affairs and addressing refereeing-related issues through frequent meetings since this morning.
The coming days will see the formulation of clear strategies and working diligently to implement them with committee members.”
The repeated protests by clubs regarding referees’ performance in the “Botola” matches are adding pressure on local refereeing bodies to improve the sector, especially amid the significant interaction of Moroccan fans with every controversial case.
Moroccan refereeing is going through challenging times following the bribery scandal involving referees to facilitate certain clubs’ tasks at the expense of others in last season’s championship.
This issue is currently under investigation by the Ethics Committee, promising to reveal critical information that could shake various names in the national sports scene.
