AIFF has appointed experienced Englishman Trevor Kettle as Director of Umpires

The Indian Football Association (AIFF) on Thursday announced the appointment of veteran Englishman Trevor Kettle as the Chief Referee Officer (CRO).

Implementation of the Elite Officiating Development Plan (ERTP), development and identification of grassroots refereeing talent and professionalization of elite level performers will come under Kettle’s purview.

This will require close collaboration with multiple stakeholders across the country and Kettle will work closely with the newly elected AIFF panel of referees, the federation said in a statement.

Kettle brings with him experience of the English professional game, having refereed over 800 professional matches.

A Premier League assistant referee from 1999 to 2003, he saw first-hand the introduction of full-time professional referees and officiated the first Community Shield against Arsenal and Liverpool in the Football League Cup Final between Tottenham Hotspur v Blackburn Rovers and several leading teams. Games.

Promoted to the National Referees List in 2003, Kettle has officiated in all three English football leagues, including the Championship, and is one of the most experienced referees.

In addition, he was the primary spokesperson for the National Referees Committee and was instrumental in pursuing initiatives to improve the integrity and fairness of competition officials.

Welcoming Kettle to AIFF, General Secretary Shaji Prabhakaran said: The appointment of Mr. Kettle as CRO of AIFF is indeed the beginning of a new chapter in Indian management.

“A lot of changes are expected in Indian football as a new road map will be introduced very soon and will be an important part of referee training.”

Kettle said: “The main focus at the moment is not only to improve refereeing at the highest level but also to identify young talent who can be elite referees in the future. There are many strategic points where we can work in this direction.

“Another is to raise the profile of Indian referees with the AFC and FIFA, and the ultimate goal is to identify talent and elevate them to the next level.

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