Fifa keeps faith with top SA refs
THANDO Ndzandzeka and Chris Harrison have both been elevated to the level of Fifa referee and will be included on the international panel from next year‚ the South African Football Association’s referee boss Peter Sejake has announced.
For Ndzandzeka‚ it comes after several years of being overlooked and seeing a place on the elite panel being given to less experienced officials.
Both Tsepo Maila‚ because of illhealth‚ and Eketsang Setloboko‚ who has not had much time off work over the last year‚ drop off the Fifa list after brief stints.
Ndzandzeka‚ who handled the 2014 Telkom Knockout final and 2016 Nedbank Cup decider‚ had been a surprise omission in 2015 with a badge going instead to Maila‚ who had previously never even taken charge of a Premier Soccer League match.
For the 2016 panel‚ Ndzandzeka was overlooked again with a spot going to Setloboko‚ despite his PSL inexperience.
But Ndzandzeka is now finally up among the heavyweights‚ along with the up-and-coming Harrison. They can both wear the Fifa badge on their pockets from January 1 2017.
South Africa’s other representatives on the Fifa referee’s panel for next year will be (in order of experience): ● Daniel Bennett (since 2002) ● Victor Gomes (since 2011) ● Victor Hlungwani (since 2011) ● Kulasande Qonqo (since 2013) The country also has seven assistant referees on the 2017 Fifa panel‚ dropping one after Songezo Xalakhe failed recent fitness tests. They are (also in order of seniority): ● Zakhele Siwela (since 2010) ● Sandile Dilikane (since 2011) ● Lindikhaya Bolo (since 2011) ● Johannes Moshidi (since 2011) ● Stevens Khumalo (since 2013) ● Thembisile Windvoel (since 2013) ● Peter Chauke (since 2015) Only Fifa-accredited referees and assistant referees are allowed to officiate in international matches.
They now wait to see whether any of them have been chosen by the Confederation of African Football for January’s Africa Cup of Nations finals in Gabon. — TMG Sport notched their sixth consecutive victory to put one foot in the 2018 finals in Russia.
Messi curled home a stunning 30-metre free-kick and set up goals for Lucas Pratto and Angel Di Maria in a 3-0 win over Colombia in San Juan.
The victory elevated Argentina into the qualifying places after a disastrous run of results which saw them take just two points from their previous four games.
But the feelgood factor generated by the result was overshadowed by a media boycott imposed by a furious Messi and his Argentina teammates after the final whistle.
Messi said the Albiceleste’s players were incensed by a claim made by an Argentine journalist that forward Ezequiel Lavezzi had been caught smoking marijuana in the camp.
Lavezzi, who was not included on the substitutes bench against — AFP