The former FIFA referee, Linus Mba who is also the NFF Consultant on Refereeing has been retained by World football governing body, FIFA as its Technical Adviser in Africa for Refereeing.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Mba is one of the finest ‘Gentlemen of the Whistle’ to have come out of Nigeria and also the only one of two Africas retained in that position, the other is the former Tunisian FIFA referee, Neiji Jouini.
Both men have been involved in FIFA development activities for close to two decades now.
For 10 years Mba had been a member of the CAF Referees Committee and had continued to serve as Referee Instructor for FIFA and CAF.
He had trained referees in virtually all English –speaking National Associations on the African continent.
Mba also serves as Referee Assessor in top grade FIFA World Cup and Africa Cup of Nations qualifying matches and is involved in general referee instruction programmes for CAF.
Jouini has a long –term contract with the Qatar Football Association and works for CAF during a number of championships.
Report from News Agency of Nigeria NAN states that both men are in the company of the likes of Pierluigi Collina (Italy), Barry Neale (England); Batta Marc (France), Vicar Donald (Scotland) and David Elleray (England) as FIFA Technical Advisers.
The world body works through three Referees Development Officers in Africa–Carlos Henriques (South Africa), El Shenawy (Egypt) and Megassa Sidi Bekaye (Mali).
It will be recalled that FIFA in 2014 Suspended Mba who was appointed as the Match Commissioner for the Sierra Leone and Seychelles African Cup of Nations qualifier in Freetown.
