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Referee officials Mike Sonko and Ssali Mashood while guiding the referees at Kakyeka
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Sports Desk
The local football governing body, FUFA, has initiated a referees’ training program to maintain awareness of the ever-changing football rules and their application.
The exercise, named the Referees’ Integrated Training, is targeting all national referees in their respective regions.
Referees going under training at Kakyeka Stadium
Conducted by the FUFA Referees’ Office through FUFA Referees’ Development Manager Mashood Ssali, assisted by Mike Sonko, the program takes officials onto the field for practical implementation and demonstration of the rules.
"It is an initiative by FUFA to train these officials in practical refresher sessions because it was discovered that training them in classrooms was not enough; they also need training on the pitch where they officiate," Ssali said. He added, "That is why we decided to do integrated training, to enhance both the physical and technical abilities of the respective officials."
According to Ssali, seven of the eight regions—North East, Northern, Eastern, Central, Buganda, West Nile, and Western—have been covered, with only Kitara remaining.
"We are doing this to help us be consistent because we want uniformity in the application of the laws, so that when a law is interpreted in the North, it remains the same in other football-playing areas of the country and at all levels," Ssali added. 
Referees official Mike Sonko guiding the referees
The Western region referees had their training at Kakyeka Stadium on Sunday, where 26 male and female officials took part in the one-day session. Western Region Football Association Chairman Sseka Mutaka hailed FUFA for the initiative and called upon all referees in the region to embrace the program without fail. Ssali said the program will continue across all regions periodically.
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