International ex-referee for football Mohammed Omar has been appointed as a referee for the "First Persian Gulf Cup among veterans" in Kuwait from February 22 to 26 of the current year, a joyful event and an important step in the history of experienced referees. He expressed gratitude to Sheikh Hamdan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, the President of the Football Federation of the UAE, for selecting him for officiating at the tournament and expressed hope to justify the trust.
The tournament will feature eight teams, including the national team, which will compete in Group A along with the teams from Kuwait, Oman, and Qatar. In Group B, the teams from Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Bahrain, and Yemen will compete.
Mohammed Omar ended his refereeing career in 2010 and switched to administrative work, becoming the chairman of the referees committee and a member of the UAE FA. He noted that he began his career as a referee in 1997 and during his career officiated more than 100 international matches and numerous matches in local tournaments.
He highlighted the 2003 Persian Gulf Cup, which was held in Kuwait, as particularly significant in his career, where he was recognized as the best referee of the tournament, despite the participation of foreign referees. He also emphasized that it's important for referees to gain experience from the participation of foreign referees in managing games in the UAE.
Mohammed Omar shared six important pieces of advice for the current generation of referees in the UAE, including maintaining physical fitness, avoiding arrogance, knowing the rules of arbitration, resilience to external pressure during matches, fairness, and serious approach to every game. He also noted that Mohammed Al Ali and Adel Al Nakbi are the most promising referees at present and could have a chance to officiate at the 2026 World Cup.
