One of the most difficult tasks in the game of football is to be a referee who atimes is subjected to harsh treatment when decisions take a different twist, our own Francis Angufidru didn't take that as an obstacle in his journey of becoming a FUFA Licensed Referee.
In today's episode of our exclusive interview, he takes us through his light and tough moments in his career.
Who is Francis Angufidru?
My name is Francis Angufidru a teacher by profession and a FUFA Licensed Referee. I was born and raised in Terego, Uriama Sub-County Maraju clan.
When did you become a referee?
I loved refereeing since childhood but the geographical location of Terego and policy matters at that level couldn't permit me to move faster in the career, however after joining teaching profession (under government) in Koboko district in 2007, it opened a platform for me to showcase my talent, in Koboko where nobody knew me, I faced some challenges but later when I was transferred to Terego by then Arua district in 2009 I had all the mentors around me to mention but a few; My chairman then Mr Luka Aswa, Asiku Summary who was my technical chairman and my seniors like Adrole Ben and Anguzu Ronald who guided me on what to do.
What inspired you to become a referee?
I came from a very humble background headed by a single parent (my father) who was a Herdsman,after grazing in the evening he could ask me to go play with my friends but I didn't get the chance to play because they could appoint me to be their referee, that's where I picked interest.
When I joined the secondary level, I started getting closer to familiar referees dressed smartly in referee attire and they helped me to achieve my dream.
Do you have a FUFA badge?
Yes, I was on a FUFA badge for six undisturbed years till when I came out to retire for another young boy or girl to try his or her best at that level that's why the federation has given me the honor to retire officially,this had never happened in Westnile.
What was your toughest encounter?
It was a Uganda cup game between Midigo Calvary (by then in the big league) and Lugazi Fc (UPL) at Midigo primary school play ground where the expectations from both teams were high making the game tense with some serious tackles. The same scenario happened in Luo grounds between Nebbi Central and Kitara but I managed the two games up to the end without any chaos.
What was the best moment in your refereeing career?
First of all, in refereeing there are so many best moments but to mention a few; tour and adventures during match days in different parts of the country were one of my best. My best moments in the match were in the game between Lango province and Kigezi in FUFA drum at Akibua stadium (Lira) where I felt football was in another world.
What were some of the challenges you faced and how did you overcome them?
When I started anew and taking into account the kind of background I come from, no exposure, feeling of inferiority, and lack of grassroots football were challenging.
Adding to that, policy matters in our time where the FUFA badge was given at any age bracket never left space for us the young ones (by then) to get an opportunity to be among the best referees.
How did you overcome the challenges?
It was all about faith and passion to be a FUFA Licensed Referee with a badge that made me look at all the challenges from a positive aspect which later became a motivating factor,those seniors who dropped us for big games gave us opportunities to learn from their errors.
What message do you have for an upcoming referee?
In 2007, when I started I also had mentors who could always tell me to listen more and talk less.
My message to my young referees is ; Work hard to achieve more, respect your seniors, leave pride, and lastly be ready to unlearn what you have learnt.
What next?
The region has given me the mandate to head all the referees' associations as an administrator, am also a national delegate of the referees in the region.
My next chapter is to become a football administrator and a referee assessor.
In honor of his retirement, the regional league game between Odramacaku Fc and Paidha United will be played in his home district at the newly built Leju Stadium in Terego district which was confirmed to us by the chairperson of the competitions committee.
