A Swedish referee has started a Facebook page in an attempt to “create an understanding for our occupation”. Mohammed Al-Hakim, one of the most promising officials in the Swedish top flight, Allsvenskan, launched his page this month with an admission that he should have given a penalty in the game between IFK Norrkoping and AIK and has been praised for his willingness to discuss contentious decisions.

“I believe in openness and dialogue,” Al-Hakim told Fotbollskanalen. “The main idea is that I want to create interest [in our occupation] and I think the football family can gain from getting a better insight and understanding of a referee’s situation.

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“I also want the page to inspire more people to become referees, which is an important part of football. I want to show my side of officiating and want to balance the picture [there is of us] in the media. I want to increase the accessibility in the football family.”

The 30-year-old is one of Sweden’s most promising referees and attended a Fifa course in February as he stepped up his efforts to officiate on the international scene. His page received a lot of attention when it was launched with the sentence: “Keep a good tone here and the chances of this page surviving will increase.”

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Mohammed Al-Hakim wants to increase insight and understanding into refereeing via social media. Photograph: Facebook

He added of the decision he had got wrong: “I should have given a penalty yesterday. Full stop. Now I have seen what you surely have seen already. I’ve seen the replays a few times and looked at stills and different angles. Because what it is about for me, is that I want to learn something and try to understand why I did what I did. I will never be right all the time but it is important to minimise the mistakes and make sure that I am right in the important moments.”

He added: “I have got a lot of positive feedback. Of course there are some negative voices but the majority has been very positive. The whole idea is just a test but it the Swedish refereeing committee is in on it. They have agreed that I am doing it.”