The international referee in the sport of swimming, Mohammed Faraj, that the arbitration workers of the citizens suffer a lot in order to continue in the game of swimming, and their survival depends on their love for the profession only, explaining that the ruling of swimming citizen «oppressed», because of neglect and lack of appreciation despite It is of great importance to the game, especially as tournaments are only approved by the referees approved by the swimming association, especially those that qualify for international tournaments.

Mohamed Farag Sabah, a former water polo player in the People's Club and the national team, from 1979 to 1989, then went to the profession of arbitration to stay in it until now (more than 30 years), and received the international badge in 1995, and two years later received the international badge in the open swimming, And also the water polo.

Mohammed Faraj told Emirates Today that the rule of swimming stays throughout the tournaments, which are often held during the weekend, standing on the pool for more than eight hours, which causes great fatigue and fatigue, and the fee paid does not match with what it offers Besides, many people are away from this field, because the work is not feasible, swimming is different from any other game, and for the tournament to have at least 30 referees, and there are many tournaments are held at the same time, and large and certified tournaments need to 45 judgments ».

He added: “The referee earns 500 dirhams per day in various tournaments held in the country, and will spend more than half of this amount for his daily needs as fuel for the car, especially if he comes from a remote area, in addition to other expenses such as lunch, that is, the net earned in a full day up to Only 200 dirhams, and this small amount is not enough to judge, or encourages the wisdom of citizenship to leave their home and children all day, and in some tournaments we accepted the work of 50 dirhams and 150 dirhams, love of the game, and the desire to spread swimming as a national duty towards the state. ''

He continued: «Even sports clothes needed by referees in the management of tournaments are not provided by the Swimming Association, and the referee buys them from his own pocket, and sometimes the tournament ends at 9 pm, that is, the referee can not wash the shirt, and therefore must have at least two shirts An estimate of each referee, and all this is not provided by the federation or the swimmers. ”

Mohammed Faraj stressed that the referees, especially women, are subjected to great fatigue throughout the day, and said: «In order to come to the swimming championship, if the referee lives outside Dubai, he must move at 5:30 am, and finish his work at 8 pm, Over the past two months, two wisdoms have had accidents returning home after completing the tournaments, due to fatigue and tiredness.

He added: “Even in honoring, whether after the end of the season or any honor from the Public Sports Authority, the national referees are not summoned. They are only honoring one referee. For example, I was the only referee who participated in the 2002 Asian Championships in Thailand. "The name dropped by mistake, and at the 2010 World Championships in Dubai, we were not honored because the players considered the tournament to be local, even though it was the world championship."

The former international referee pointed out that the federation includes 90 referees, including 15 national referees, and eight of them carry the international emblem. Faraj stressed that the financial dues of the referees - although few - are long overdue, and there are accredited championships in which the referees swim did not receive any payment.

Professional offers

Mohammed Faraj explained that he had received offers from Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, to referee there, after his success in the last Gulf Kuwait water polo championship, and to referee the final. He said: «Saudi Federation and Kuwait made an open offer, to arbitrate there at any time, but I am afraid that "My departure is starting to leave the distinctive elements out."

15th

He is a national of swimming, eight of whom bear the international emblem.