During National Refugee Week, Football Queensland caught up with Bienvenue Habinshuti to hear about his journey from growing up in a refugee camp to now being one of Far North Queensland’s most promising young referees.
Born in Congo and raised in a refugee camp in Rwanda, Bienvenue Habinshuti’s childhood was marked by uncertainty, yet one factor remained constant throughout: his passion for football.
Upon settling in Northern Queensland in 2019, Habinshuti quickly integrated into the Cairns football community, making his mark as a goalkeeper for local clubs Saints Soccer Club and Marlin Coast Rangers. However, it wasn’t until a torn ACL sidelined him from the game for an extended period that an initially temporary transition into officiating ignited his passion for the touchline.
“During my recovery, I attended Friday games and volunteered as a referee when there was a shortage of officials and one of the referees informed me about an upcoming course. I thought about it for a few weeks before eventually deciding to register for it,” Habinshuti said.
“After I recovered, I decided not to play anymore, but I still loved the sport and wanted to stay involved, so I did the Level 4 referee course and became a registered referee.
“The first game I officiated; I was on the line as an AR [Assistant Referee] and it was a really good experience, but also challenging because some of the signs were confusing at first, however, I was determined to practice the signalling and other techniques to improve my skills and be the best I could be.”
Now an experienced FQPL 3 referee in the Far North & Gulf region, Habinshuti also juggles his work and study commitments with his officiating duties but is determined to continue developing his skills to turn his passion into a full-time career, with a goal of becoming a top-level referee in Australia officiating elite domestic and international games.
“So far it has been a very rewarding experience refereeing the FQPL 3 here in Cairns, but I would also like to continue growing my skills by taking on the challenge of officiating higher-level games and joining the FQ Referee Academy, as I believe that it is the best opportunity to continue developing and go further as a referee,” Habinshuti said.
Habinshuti’s journey hasn’t been without its challenges, but he attributes much of his development and success on the pitch to his background and experiences as a player and now encourages others to grab a whistle or flag and give it a go.
“I was accustomed to playing the game, but not to being on the other side and questioned by the players. Nevertheless, I overcame this aspect of the job because I understood their perspective as a former player and understood that they’ll get over it in a second and it will all be just fine,” Habinshuti said.
“The hardest part of being a referee is expecting everything to go according to plan. There’s no such thing as a perfect game, and something unexpected is always going to happen.
“Players can make it tough to make decisions sometimes, or they might argue with you for no reason, but my advice to aspiring referees would be that if you’re prepared for the unexpected, it doesn’t have to be a big deal and you will be fine.
“At the end of the day, I just want to make sure the game is well-run, and everyone has a good time.”
