VI’s Norval A. Young officiates in Argentina vs Ecuador friendly!
There was no Lionel Messi but there were still some big guns such as Sergio Aguero, Angel Di Maria and Javier Mascherano that did well enough to draw a 48,000 crowd. The game was played in almost freezing conditions with Argentina coming out 2-1 winners in the COPA America warm-up thanks to goals from Aguero and Javier Pastore.
As intimidating as the atmosphere could have been for a man officiating in front of a crowd almost double the size of his country’s population, it wasn’t for Mr Young who said he stuck to the task of doing what he was trained to do.
“To have that amount of persons in that one area for a game was a new for me. The experience was great. I basically didn’t have any problems; I just maintained focus throughout the game and did what I was taught to do,” Mr Young told Virgin Islands News Online in an exclusive interview.
Asked how he was able to cope with the unfamiliar temperature and to assess his performance, Mr Young said “It was quite cold, not freezing, but it was a lively game, very exciting game and that are the sort of games I would like to have on a regular basis because it allows you to basically think the game and focus no matter who is playing. It allows you to build on where you are and where you need to get to.”
Prior to New Jersey, Mr Young did some officiating in Haiti where he and other referees were assessed.
“The experience was a great experience. We learnt a lot from the guys that were there. I learnt a lot from the game that I did and from the feedback that I received from the assessors and it was a very worthwhile experience.”
Young said some of his colleagues included Sherwin Johnson of Guyana, Leo Clarke of St Lucia and Wilson Da Costa and Shawn Thomas of the Bahamas while there were also officials from Trinidad and Tobago, Cuba and Aruba. The assessors were from Cuba, Trinidad and Puerto Rico.
“The assessment helps me to build my refereeing ability or skills in the sense that they would highlight certain issues that may have come up during a game. It is now easy for me now to use the feedback in games so that past mistakes are not repeated.”
So far Mr Young is not accredited as a “man in the middle” as he is only certified to officiate as a "Linesman" but his ultimate aim, although not right now, is to become certified as a FIFA Central Referee.
“I don’t have a specific time because being a FIFA Assistant [Referee] means that if I want to become a Fifa Central Referee I would basically have to come off the list from being Assistant Referee for a minimum of a year and I guess within that year I can always work on my Central Referee skills and try to get better. Once I am able to participate in a regional tournament and they see my performance within that year or so they could always make that recommendation that I should continue.”
The successful journey so far continues for Mr Young who is expected to travel to Trinidad and Tobago on Monday April 13, 2015 to officiate in the Caribbean Football Union (CFU) Senior Men’s Club Championship.
Mr Young is also a internationally accredited basketball referee and Surveyor.
Virgin Islands News Online had interviewed Mr Young as our Young Professional back in December 2012 and wishes him continued success.
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16 Responses to “VI’s Norval A. Young officiates in Argentina vs Ecuador friendly!”
He so b*@s here especilly when it comes to basketball