FIFA referee Mufta risks his badge
Sep 15, 2011
After eight years of maintaining the most prestigious FIFA referees badge, Fred Mufta is going through his hardest career times as one of the five global soccer governing body’s centre officials in Uganda.
By Swalley Kenyi
After eight years of maintaining the most prestigious FIFA referees badge, Fred Mufta is going through his hardest career times as one of the five global soccer governing body’s centre officials in Uganda.
He has failed two successive fitness tests at Namboole and loosely hangs on fate of the increasingly stricter national soccer governing body, FUFA officials recommendations for next year’s FIFA badge especially another unsuccessful attempt at the exercise Wednesday.
Mufta withdrew from the latest tests on Wednesday with only two laps to go after Continental instructor Haruna Kebba had warned him against failing to meet the standard times in the long races.
But the referee maintained that he was just running for fun because he had just done the test in Mozambique two weeks ago.
Known for his nonsense character on the pitch, Mufta has been commanding some respect among football players and officials alike but all seems to be changing among his fellow referees, coaches and players alike.
“I have taken time to watch this test physically because I was disappointed last year when some of the referees failed soon after they were given FIFA badges. I want it to be done on merit because we have a name to protect,†FUFA president Lawrence Mulindwa, who watched Mufta bow out of the tests, said soon after.
CAF had ordered Mufta to join the referees exercising for the All Africa Games in Maputo, Mozambique and armed with the result from that exercise Mufta said Wednesday that: “I could not do two fitness tests successfully within two weeks. I was doing this for fun.â€
But his supervisors maintained that the referee needed a lot to do to regain the form that propelled him to among top Ugandan referees. He had been tipped to replace retired Mohammed Ssegonga.
Brian Nsubuga, who was stripped of the badge after just a year and Ronnie Kalema, who failed a test soon after he was given the badge all impressed on Wednesday.
Another male centre referee Mashood Ssali female assistants Rehman Kizito (FIFA) Amina Kayinza (FUFA) failed to make the marks. Twenty five male and eight female referees aspiring for the 2012 FIFA badges took part in the test
After eight years of maintaining the most prestigious FIFA referees badge, Fred Mufta is going through his hardest career times as one of the five global soccer governing body’s centre officials in Uganda.
He has failed two successive fitness tests at Namboole and loosely hangs on fate of the increasingly stricter national soccer governing body, FUFA officials recommendations for next year’s FIFA badge especially another unsuccessful attempt at the exercise Wednesday.
Mufta withdrew from the latest tests on Wednesday with only two laps to go after Continental instructor Haruna Kebba had warned him against failing to meet the standard times in the long races.
But the referee maintained that he was just running for fun because he had just done the test in Mozambique two weeks ago.
Known for his nonsense character on the pitch, Mufta has been commanding some respect among football players and officials alike but all seems to be changing among his fellow referees, coaches and players alike.
“I have taken time to watch this test physically because I was disappointed last year when some of the referees failed soon after they were given FIFA badges. I want it to be done on merit because we have a name to protect,†FUFA president Lawrence Mulindwa, who watched Mufta bow out of the tests, said soon after.
CAF had ordered Mufta to join the referees exercising for the All Africa Games in Maputo, Mozambique and armed with the result from that exercise Mufta said Wednesday that: “I could not do two fitness tests successfully within two weeks. I was doing this for fun.â€
But his supervisors maintained that the referee needed a lot to do to regain the form that propelled him to among top Ugandan referees. He had been tipped to replace retired Mohammed Ssegonga.
Brian Nsubuga, who was stripped of the badge after just a year and Ronnie Kalema, who failed a test soon after he was given the badge all impressed on Wednesday.
Another male centre referee Mashood Ssali female assistants Rehman Kizito (FIFA) Amina Kayinza (FUFA) failed to make the marks. Twenty five male and eight female referees aspiring for the 2012 FIFA badges took part in the test