Al Shamsi suggests investing these sums in football schools and academies

Clubs will save more than 9 million dirhams if they dispense with the request for a foreign whistle

Turkish referee Cüneyt Şakir managed the match between Al-Ahly and Al-Jazira youth last season.

Photography: Osama Abu Ghanem

Salim Al Shamsi, a former member of the Board of Directors of the Football Association, confirmed that the professional clubs in the ADNOC Professional League can save large sums of money if they dispense with the foreign referee in the league and the President’s Cup, noting that there is a possibility, according to the decision of the Football Association, that the 14 professional clubs use the help of the 14 professional clubs. The foreign referee in 56 matches, suggesting at the same time that these sums be invested in football schools and academies, calling on clubs not to use foreign referees unless absolutely necessary.

The cost of the arbitration staff per match is 170,000 dirhams, while the total cost of hiring foreign referees in 56 matches (the number of matches allowed for clubs with the presence of a foreign referee) will be about 9 million and 520 thousand dirhams.

Al Shamsi, who previously served as head of the Players Status and Transfers Committee, told "Emirates Today": "There is no reason for clubs to attract foreign referees, except within very narrow limits in the case of sensitive matches and a match related to the lead, the rear and the relegation, and the club can need the foreigner in only one match. Out of the four matches he is allowed to attract him.”

It is noteworthy that the Football Association had announced the mechanism for using foreign referees in the professional league in the new season, including that the club has the right to bring in foreign referees in a maximum of four matches, either in the President’s Cup or the Professional League competitions instead of only two matches, as it was last season. Note that the cost of recruiting a foreign referee is 170,000 dirhams per match.

The Football Association allowed clubs to use foreign referees in the UAE league, starting from last season, according to specific conditions and mechanism in this regard.

Al Shamsi added, "There are large clubs that transfer budgets allocated to team games, football academies and schools to spend on the first football team, and this spending is always at the expense of something else in the club."

Al Shamsi called on the clubs to reduce the exchange rate in the process of attracting foreign rule, as the financial cost is great.

He continued, "The Football Association threw its decision to use the foreign referee the ball in the club's court to spend the sums on the foreign referees, and something exaggerated is that the club pays 170,000 dirhams to the arbitration staff in one match."

Saleem Al Shamsi:

“The spending should be reduced in the process of attracting foreign rule because the financial cost is great.”

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