Zim refs continue to get recognition
ZIMBABWEAN referees’ stock seems to be rising with each passing day in recent years as they continue to receive direct appointments for international engagements with the latest assignment set to see four officials take charge of a Total Caf Confederation encounter later this month.
The match pitting Equatorial Guinea side Deportivo Niefang and Willamsille of Cote de’Ivore will be handled by Harare based referee, Norman Matemera who will be assisted by the Bulawayo duo of Brighton Nyika and Salani Ncube with Pilan Ncube the fourth official.
Togolese, Lawson Mawule, will be the encounter’s match commissioner.
Just last week Pilan was at the centre in the Caf Under-20 qualifier between Malawi and Swaziland with Edgar Rumeck his first assistant while Tafadzwa Nkala was the second assistant referee. Norman Matemera was the fourth official. Not to be outdone will be female officials. Sabelo Maphosa Sibindi will this weekend officiate in the African Women Cup qualifier between Swaziland and Lesotho while Rusina Majo will also be carrying the Zimbabwean flag when she officiates in the same tournament qualifier between Zambia and Tanzania.
Zimbabwe has a total of 15 referees on the Fifa international list but the country has previously been overlooked for major tournaments largely due to in-house squabbles that used the characterise the local referees’ leadership.
Last month Zimbabwe Referees’ Committee vice chairperson Gladmore Mzambi was in Cairo, Egypt where he attended the maiden referees development workshop which was geared towards raising the level of refereeing across the continent. The objective of the workshop included raising the level of all referees, instructors and administrators and also establishing an effective communication channel between the Caf refereeing department and their counterparts at the Member Associations in line with the four-year plan outlined by the Caf Referees Committee under the theme “African Refereeing – Stronger than ever”.