The Football Association and the Basketball Association have signed a cooperation agreement aiming at the promotion, development and improvement of the quality of refereeing in both sports, specifically football and basketball.
Through this agreement, the aim is to exchange experiences, best practices, and find resources to achieve more positive results, as well as to raise the level of professionalism of referees.
This memorandum of cooperation was signed at the premises of the “House of Football,” with the President of the AFA, Armand Duka, and the President of the Basketball Association, Avni Ponari, in attendance.
The president of the AFA, Armand Duka, described this cooperation agreement as very important and thanked president Ponari for his readiness. President Duka expressed confidence that this agreement will serve both associations for the exchange of best practices and to do even more for the two most important sports in Albania.
“We are in the premises of the Albanian Football Association to sign a very important agreement for refereeing, together with the president of the Albanian Basketball Association, Mr. Avni Ponari, whom I thank and wish my welcome. Our two sports, football and basketball, for me the most important in our country, are similar because they are collective sports and have elements that could unite them.
I am confident that this agreement will serve both associations and both sports for the exchange of the best practices that the Basketball Association and the Football Association have. Together we will do even more. A very important point of the agreement is the activation of female referees, both in football and basketball, the way we should approach them, the conditions we need to create and their support for the development of refereeing and the entire football and basketball.
While thanking once again the president Ponari, I hope that we will have a good cooperation and not limit ourselves to just the field of refereeing, but also in every other aspect where we have common interests for the development of football and basketball in Albania and on the international stage” – said president Duka.
The president of the ABA, Avni Ponari, described this agreement as historic and very important, as it will affect on the improvement of the quality of refereeing. Additionally, he thanked president Duka for everything he has done for sports in Albania.
“Thank you, president Duka! For me this is a special day, maybe even historic, because for the first time two associations sign a common agreement. An agreement that will serve the continuous cooperation and the build of a strategic program for the education and the improvement of the quality of refereeing. The boys and girls who practice this profession will have the opportunity to reflect and demonstrate the high level of refereeing, because they are truly the people who represent the associations and are dignified, both on the green fields and in the sports halls.
We will work together to remove the wrong concept that referees are guilty of defeats. We will fight to remove this mentality and ensure that refereeing receives the weight and role it deserves in accurately reflecting the activities and development of sports events.
Once again, Mr. Duka, I congratulate you on this initiative and for everything you have done for basketball, not to mention the great successes that football has achieved under your leadership, both in Albania and beyond,” – said the President of the Basketball Association, Avni Ponari.
The cooperation memorandum between the Albanian Football Association and the Albanian Basketball Association includes several key points:
Joint training on decision-making and pressure management, as well as organizing seminars and training for referees of both sports on communication, stress management, and decision-making during matches.
Physical assessments and joint training to ensure that referees have a high level of physical skills and endurance.
Exchange of experiences and mentoring, where experienced referees from both associations will share concrete refereeing cases to assist their colleagues in professional development.
Development of a common ethical and professional code to create shared standards that strengthen integrity and respect for this profession.
Organization of joint events and forums for referees, including workshops, conferences, and forums, where referees from both sports will discuss refereeing challenges and share best practices.
