In a move described by many as a good example of true sportsmanship, the president of Somali Football Federation, Ali Abdi Mohamed, appointed his former election rival Wiish Yabarow, as the new chair of SFF referee committee.
New Referee Committee Chair
SFF president Ali Abdi Mohamed, presented the proposal to appoint Mr. Yabarow as the head of the referees’ committee to the executive board which unanimously approved during an extraordinary meeting on Tuesday. Mr. Yabarow, a retired international football referee previously led the department before quitting in July 2022 and he later ran for the presidency of Somali Football Federation, a dream that did not come true for him.
“Mr. Yabarow is suitable for the job and I would like to thank the executive committee for voting in favor of his appointment. I am confident that he can do more towards the development of our referees. He is very familiar with this department where he was a referee and later served as its chairman” the president
Exercising Sportsmanship
President Ali Abdi Mohamed, said that Mr. Yabarow challenged his election victory and took the case to the international court of Arbitration for Sport and lost the case, but that doesn’t mean that Mr. Yabarow is totally out of the football community he belongs to.
“After every rivalry within the football community, there are always handshakes, love and friendship. For example, two football teams fight on the pitch for 90 minutes and they end the fight with hugs and handshakes. All they fight is to win the match and earn the three points” the president said.
“Likewise, football leaders fight during elections and when the election is over the loser and the winner are friends, because that is the true sportsmanship and we are now exercising it” Somali Football Federation president, Ali Abdi Mohamed, expressed.
See also the recent story Female Referees: Somalia Produces Female Referees to Boost Women’s Football.
