WAF REFEREES
The refereeing licence, and who currently holds one
The licence
A refereeing licence is granted in five graded bands. Each band carries its own validity and its own limit on what may be officiated; a referee may not officiate above their band.
★
ELKİN
Referee Candidate
2 years
Preliminary rounds of national competitions, under the supervision of a TOLU referee or higher. Training and exhibition matches. Not authorised for finals, semi-finals or international matches.
★★
TOLU
National Referee
3 years
All rounds of national competitions, including finals. Regional and multi-national competitions within the assigned territory. Not authorised for international WAF-sanctioned competitions.
★★★
BİLGE
Senior Referee
4 years
All national competitions including championship finals. International WAF-sanctioned competitions: preliminary rounds and semi-finals. Continental championship preliminary rounds. Not authorised for world championship finals.
★★★★
ATAMAN
International Referee
5 years
All WAF-sanctioned international competitions. Continental championship finals. World championship preliminary rounds and semi-finals. Supervision of TOLU and BİLGE referees at international events. Not authorised for world championship finals.
★★★★★
ULUCA
Elite Referee
6 years
World championship finals in all systems. Appointment as Chief Referee at WAF World Championships. Leadership and mentoring of the referee panel at all WAF events.
Advancement
A band is not applied for. It is earned in competition and confirmed by examination, and every step is decided by the Examination Commission — except ULUCA, which additionally requires the endorsement of KUTSAN and a resolution of the Board of Directors.
ELKİN
Referee Candidate
ELKİN is the entry to the ladder: the WAF training course, 70% or above in the written examination on the Competition Regulations, a satisfactory practical assessment, and ten national competitions officiated as a supervised candidate.
ELKİN → TOLU
National Referee
25 national competitions officiated · advancement examination at 75% · practical assessment: good · activity record verified by the national federation
TOLU → BİLGE
Senior Referee
30 national or regional competitions officiated · advancement examination at 80% · practical assessment: very good · proficiency in three Alpagut systems
BİLGE → ATAMAN
International Referee
20 international competitions officiated · advancement examination at 85% · practical assessment: excellent · proficiency in all five systems · one WAF International Referee Seminar
ATAMAN → ULUCA
Elite Referee
15 world or continental competitions officiated · advancement examination at 90% · practical assessment: outstanding · leadership of referee panels internationally · two seminars as presenter or assessor · three-stage approval
Licence and membership
A licence and a membership year are separate things. The licence runs for the term of its band — two years at ELKİN, six at ULUCA — and is renewed on application to the Examination Commission. The annual WAF credential fee of USD 20 maintains active standing for the year it covers. A referee whose annual credential has lapsed keeps the band they hold, but is not recorded as active and receives no appointments until it is renewed; an unpaid year does not cancel a licence.
Trainee officiating
ELKİN, TOLU and BİLGE carry no international authority. Where circumstances beyond the organiser’s control leave an international competition without enough licensed officials, a referee of those bands may officiate as a trainee — on the joint appointment of the Chairman of the Referees Collegium and the Chief Referee of that competition. The appointment covers one named competition, is recorded in its protocol together with the reason for it, and confers no band and no further entitlement. Those competitions count towards advancement at the band actually held.
Official register 12 licensed referees
The Federation’s official register of licensed referees. Each entry carries the band, the licence number, the term and the current status, and each can be verified individually — no account is needed.
★★★★ATAMAN · International Referee1
ELSAVAR PURI
AZActiveWAF-REF-AZ-2026-001
19.05.2026 – 19.05.2031
Verify ↗★★★BİLGE · Senior Referee5
ARSHAD HASANOV
AZActive WAF-REF-AZ-2026-005
19.05.2026 – 19.05.2030
Verify ↗GH
Gabil Huseynov
AZActive WAF-REF-AZ-2026-006
03.09.2026 – 03.09.2027
Verify ↗
HÜSEYN HANCHER
TRActiveWAF-REF-TR-2026-001
19.05.2026 – 19.05.2030
Verify ↗
NIZAMI AGHAYEV
AZActive WAF-REF-AZ-2026-004
19.05.2026 – 19.05.2030
Verify ↗
RAFIG GASIMOV
AZActive WAF-REF-AZ-2026-002
19.05.2026 – 19.05.2030
Verify ↗★★TOLU · National Referee6
CEREN IDECI
TRActive WAF-REF-TR-2026-002
19.05.2026 – 19.05.2029
Verify ↗
HASAN ÇAĞLAR
TRActive WAF-REF-TR-2026-005
19.05.2026 – 19.05.2029
Verify ↗
HUSSEIN HADI HUSSEIN
IQActiveWAF-REF-IQ-2026-001
19.05.2026 – 19.05.2029
Verify ↗
SELIN KARARMISH
TRActive WAF-REF-TR-2026-003
19.05.2026 – 19.05.2029
Verify ↗
SERDAR AKSU
TRActive WAF-REF-TR-2026-004
19.05.2026 – 19.05.2029
Verify ↗SC
Süleyman CANBEK
TRActive WAF-REF-TR-2026-006
03.09.2026 – 03.09.2027
Verify ↗Becoming a referee
A licence runs for the term of its band — two years at ELKİN, six at ULUCA — and is renewed on application made sixty days before it expires. A licence left unrenewed for six months is cancelled, and the holder re-applies one band lower. Award and renewal fees are set each year by the Executive Committee. Separately from the licence, the annual WAF credential fee for a referee is USD 20.
Register as a referee ↗
Licence bands, advancement requirements and register content from the WAF Licensing System v2.0, Edition 2026 (Articles 3, 5–12), with the Alpagut Referee Training Manual v3.0. In case of conflict, the Licensing System governs.
