Bajans officiating regional football

Three Barbadian referees have been racking up frequent flier miles in recent weeks, with Bermuda and St Vincent & the Grenadines. The Barbados Football Association (BFA) and the Barbados Football Referees Association (BFRA) have extended congratulations to all three, as the governing bodies prepare to increase the capacity of the island’s technical officials in coming months.

BFA Centre referee Jamar Springer and FIFA assistant referee Abigail Brathwaite have concluded their recent appointments to officiate in the Bermuda Premier League in Hamilton, Bermuda.

Springer returned from Bermuda this week, while Brathwaite officiated from the end of November to early December.

Meanwhile, BFA Concacaf accredited referee Cleon Culley travelled to St Vincent & the Grenadines last weekend, to officiate an Under-20 men’s international friendly between the home team and Windward Islands neighbours, the Commonwealth of Dominica.

“Our match officials continue to do Barbados proud,” said the BFA in a social media post. “Our referees continue to build and diversify their match experience.”

In 2025, under the umbrellas of the Caribbean Football Union (CFU) and Concacaf, the BFA will continue to upskill its cadre of match officials with further training. Just last week, it was revealed that five local match officials, including Culley and Brathwaite, had made it onto the 2025 edition of the prestigious FIFA International Referees List, the highest status in football refereeing.

(TF)