Get hungry for knowledge – Francois

Vincentian Clemroy “Bert” Francois, a member of CONCACAF’S Elite panel of referees’ assessors, wants referees and referees’ assistants in the Caribbean to have a greater hunger for knowledge.{{more}}

Francois, who was one of four assessors who oversaw the Caribbean Football Union’s (CFU) senior men’s final, which ended in Jamaica last Tuesday, made this feeling known to SEARCHLIGHT.

His vented this against the backdrop that the pool of match officials was not confined to the CFU, but to the wider CONCACAF set-up.

“It was a CFU tournament, but what president [Jeffrey] Webb is looking for is one region – CONCACAF and he looking for the best,” Francois advised.

During the tournament, there were four referees from the USA, Mexico, Costa Rica and El Salvador, with the other four directly from CFU members.

However, all eight assistant referees were drawn from CFU.

In proffering a reason for looking outside of the CFU frame, Francois reasoned: “Our Caribbean referees are not hungry enough and are not refereeing at the top level locally mentally… When you are in a local game, you are supposed to officiate as you are in a big tournament.”

Making the comparisons and similarities, Francois claimed, “They (Caribbean officials) are exposed to the same material that is available to the Mexicans to the Costa Ricans… The difference is in the commitment and the hunger for knowledge.”

Francois, who got involved in referees’ assessment in 2011 and has since been elevated to CONCACAF’s elite panel, used his rise as a parallel.

“I am hungry… When I go to these tournaments, I look at the performance of the other assessors… I look at the debriefing, what is expected; hence I do not make the same mistake twice,” Francois said.

“I have had to assess referees who have been to the World Cup, those who have done the CONCACAF champions league and they have all been quite satisfied,” he underscored.

A former FIFA approved assistant referee, Francois has officiated in Olympic qualifiers, CFU tournament and other CONCACAF organized tournaments.

Francois is among 25 persons who constitute CONCACAF’S Elite panel of referees’ assessors.(RT)