Indian Football Referees Association (IFRA) of Kuwait elects Sarto Baptista as President At the 24th Annual General Body Meeting of the Indian Football Referees Association (IFRA) held on Friday, July 8th, 2005 at the Village Inn Restuarant, Kuwait City, the following were unanimously elected as office bearers and members of the managing committee for the year 2005-06: Sarto L. Baptista President Tel: 4313869/4313964 Ext.343/5611621 Diego F. Rebello Vice President Tel: 5720521/4725210 Junnifer M. Rodrigues Hon. Secretary Tel: 4345555/4346666 Ext.1381/5633261 Sabino A. Anes Hon. Treasurer Tel: 2422091 / 2662071 Milgares S. Crasto Member Anthony D'Costa Member Bernard Fernandes Member John P. Ferrao Member Apolinaris E. D'Souza Hon. Auditor (Postal Address: P.O. Box 341, 15454 Dasman, Kuwait). (Sarto Baptista) The newly formed committee has decided to continue to conduct Refresher-cum-Coaching Classes for the benefit of members and new recruits from Friday, August 1st, 2005. Interested candidates may contact any of the above office bearers. The Indian Football Referees Association (IFRA) is the only Qualified Expatriate Referees Body in Kuwait, affiliated to The Bombay Referees Association, Bombay - India, registered with the Embassy of India in Kuwait and recognized by the Football Association and The Referees' Assocaition of the United Kingdom (U.K.), GRFA-Goa (India) and KRA-Kerala (India). IFRA was formed on December 5, 1980 by a group of seven expatriate Indians, qualified referees and the members of Bombay and Goa Referees' Associations, later called as the Founder Members, with the blessings of the Kuwait Football Association (KFA). The Association was then headed by (late) Mr. Jerome Pascoal D'Mello (popularly known in India and Kuwait as J.P), ex-FIFA Referee and Member of Asian Football Confederation Referees Committee and Ex-Hon. Secretary and member of Bombay Referees' Association, as President, until his departure to India in 1986. Mr. D'Mello, who lived in Andheri East, Bombay, left for his heavenly abode in 1994. He was succeeded by Dominic Monserrate, a member of Goa Football Referees' Association (GFRA), for a brief period as President in 1987. Apolinaris Ejechial D'Souza, a member of Bombay Referees' Association since 1964, and the Founder Hon. Secretary from 1980 to 1986, a Member of the Board of Examiners from its inception, took over the reigns of IFRA as President and Chairman of the Board of Examiners in March 1988. The association trains and recruits new Referees, as its members, who provided services for the supervision of Football matches for both Indian and other Expatriate Tournament Organizers since 1980. The association which provided its services form 1980 to various Tournament Organizers prior to the formation of the Kuwait Indian Football Federation (K.I.F.F.) in 1984, which now controls all Expatriates Indians Football activities at the Al-Sour Ground at Kuwait City, also provided its services to KIFF to supervise its Four (4) Regular, Five (5) 7-A-Side and One 9-A-Side Non-Regular Tournaments and the J.P. Memorial Rolling Trophy (KIFF League).
Since 1998, IFRA Referees were called on to supervise expatriate football tournaments organized by the United Malayalee Organization (a group of 13 Indian Malayalee Associations in Kuwait), Biman Bangladesh Tournament-Organized by Biman Bangladesh Airlines-Kuwait as well as Expatriate League-Organized by Expatriate European/Arabs in Kuwait. Under the able leadership and expert guidance of A.E. D'Souza, since 1988, the strength of the Association gradually increased and rose to thirty (30) members within a few years. The Examination Sub-Committee comprising headed by A.E. D'Souza and Diego Rebello regularly conducts two(2) Refreshers and Coaching classes yearly for the benefit of the members and new recruits. The association aims at recruiting and training a good number of players to qualify as referees, which is supported by many players attending the said course for qualification. The Examination sub-Committee conducts its Annual Examinations for its members, during the month of August each year. This effort has gone a long way towards the football players' performance on the field as well as ensuring fair play and most importantly, discipline. The Football Association and The Referees' Association - U.K., who provided/supplied with the "Laws of the Game"/Referees Charts and other necessary referees' accessories to IFRA for several years now. The Bombay Referees' Association, provides the association members with the "Soccer Magazine" and other relevant information of latest changes of the Laws of the Game, etc. The Certificates issued by IFRA to its members are recognized in India, by all State Referees' Associations. Several Goan, Mangalorean and Keralite football players and enthusiasts have utilized the services of IFRA and have garnered training and indepth knowledge of the game. - Report by Gaspar Almeida, Associate, http://www.goa-world.com More on IFRA and its activities: visit http://www.goa-world.com/goa/sports/ Picture: courtesy: Bernard Fernandes/IFRA (c) All rights reserved. http://www.goa-world.com http://www.live365.com/stations/61664 Live Konkani Music http://www.mahableshwar.com/ http://www.yahoogroups.com/group/gulf-goans __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com