Interview with Hussein Younes

Hussein Younes is a young referee from Sweden who just turned 21. Hussein has had his first test matches as a senior referee. He has always been fascinated by the role of a referee and has clear goals for the coming years. Read his thoughts below.

– Hello Hussein. How long have you been refereeing football?

– I have been refereeing football since 2019, and I just turned 21. Ever since I was a child on the football field, I wanted to be the fair player who would call out whether it was a foul or not. Early on, I wanted to referee and try blowing the whistle. I have always been fascinated and interested in refereeing football. Haha... actually, I used to email FIFA every year when the new FIFA game came out and asked them why they couldn't include a referee career in the game. Where I live in Gothenburg, you have to be 16 years old before you can start refereeing as a district referee, so the year I turned 16, I became a referee.


– Fun. Now that you are refereeing matches and have had a chance to try what you've always been fascinated by, what is the best part of refereeing football for you?

– The best part is, first and foremost, that it's fun. I really enjoy refereeing football. There are even more aspects, of course. Training is another thing, as you run a lot during a match, and you need to learn to make quick decisions. I run a lot to give myself the best possible chance to make as accurate a decision as possible.


– You are 21 years old and have been refereeing for a couple of years now. What type of matches do you referee the most now?

– I have mostly refereed youth and junior football, but I have had my first test match in senior football and also had good matches during the Gothia Cup. I have been part of more tournaments and had a goal of officiating some final matches, which I succeeded in. I referee as both the main referee and assistant referee. I have noticed that I like being an assistant referee, and I have received feedback from referee coaches that my body language and movements as an assistant referee are good. I also enjoy being the main referee, and I assume that this combination is good to have in the beginning.


– What are your ambitions and goals as a referee?

– My goal, like many other referees, is to reach the highest level possible. However, I am quite young, and my current goal is to officiate in the center in the fourth division. After that, we'll see, and there will definitely be new goals. That's what I'm working towards now, and I want to continue to develop. I would like to referee as the main official in division 5 and division 4 before I turn 25 years old, which is also a goal I have set for myself.


– Good luck, Hussein!