By:Curtis Morton
St.Kitts-Nevis’ FIFA appointed Football Referee, Kimbel Ward, is off to Panama on a top notch assignment. Ward has been appointed to officiate in the upcoming COPACENTROAMERICANA tournament which is set to be played in Central America which according to FIFA Referees’ Assessor, Malcolm GEORGE Ramsey, is the area where ‘real’ Football is played.
The six teams involved in the tournament are some of the top teams in the world. They are: Belize; Costa Rica; El Salvador; Honduras; Nicaragua and Panama. Five of them will move forward to the Gold cup and from there four will qualify for the world cup in 2022.
The tournament will be played between Friday 13th to Friday 20th January.
With Kimbel Ward already off island for his new assignment, FIFA Referees’ Assessor, Malcolm Ramsey in a recent interview stated that he was really proud of the Football official who he had helped to train in his locally conducted Football courses. He described Ward as humble and level headed and not being satisfied with mediocrity.
He noted that most persons would have relaxed in the thought that they had been appointed as a FIFA referee, even if they were not being assigned to do matches, but not so Ward. He noted that Ward continues to stay fit; continues to study and improve in his officiating and is aspiring to the very top of his game.
Ward recently officiated in a tournament held in Trinidad and this new assignment will only help his ambitions to ascend the ladder, as he will be brought under the radar of some of the top referee assessors in the world. A good showing will only enhance his upward climb, which may one day see him officiating at a world cup.
Ramsey equated Kimbell’s rise to the achievements of Elquemedo Willet in Cricket. He pointed out that Ward is historically the most successful referee coming out of St.Kitts and Nevis, up to this point.
According to Ramsey, Ward is currently the number one FIFA Football referee in the OECS; number five in the Caribbean and placed in the second tier of FIFA referees worldwide, which holds him in good stead for an appointment at the world cup set for 2022.
A humble Malcolm Ramsey is also making his upward climb, as in October of 2016, he attended a CONCACAF Assessors course which involved 52 referees and as a result is placed within the top 15 assessors in CONCACAF.
He encouraged young persons to use their abilities to seize opportunities presented to them and noted that the game of Football presents golden opportunities to excel in various areas.
He noted that when he and Kimbell travel as officials on FIFA related matters, they are given VIP treatment; stay in the finest hotels and receive a nice stipend.
He stated that he will continue to make his contributions to the development of the game and assist the boys and girls in St.Kitts and Nevis to develop and grow.
He encouraged young boys and especially girls to seek to get involved in the sport and stay away from anti-social behaviour.