The Cameroon Football Federation wants to recruit 5,000 young referees in the coming days. The communique precised a “massive recruitment” which aims to prepare Cameroonian refree in black in pan-African and international football competitions.
Cameroon is not particularly recognized as a land of refereeing on the continent. Out Of the 18 African referees selected for the next World Cup, which will be played at the end of this year in Qatar, there is only one Cameroonian: Elvis Noupue , who will officiate as assistant refree. A representation that the new team at Fecafoot wants to densify.
Everything started with a diagnosis conducted from April 2022. It emerged from this review that the code of referees is outdated. But above all, the training of referees has been abandoned. On the ground, a few schools at the departmental level operate informally in Garoua, Maroua, Ngaoundéré or in the Moungo and Wouri divisions.
To change the situation, Fecafoot had the idea to proceed with a vast recruitment of young referees of both sexes, aged 14 years minimum and 25 years maximum. They will be trained for six months in the departmental schools, which will be restructured for the occasion. Those who graduate from these schools will have the title of trainee referees. It will take more than eight years for them to climb the ladder from departmental referee to regional referee, Elite Two, Elite One and finally national referee.
Their training will be provided by professionals who have been trained as referee instructors. There is a batch of 30 instructors who have recently received their parchment.
JDC TV, Video news 
