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Sports Reporter
THE Young Warriors may be missing at the CAF Under-17 Championships but Zimbabwe will be represented as referee Tapfumanei Mutengwa has been appointed to officiate at the tournament.Mutengwa, who has been on the elite Fifa panel of assistant referees for five years, will be participating as an assistant referee at the football fiesta which runs from February 8 to March 2 in Niger.
Eight nations have qualified for the finals of the tournament.
These include Cameroon, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Mali, Nigeria, South Africa, Zambia and hosts Niger.
Sadly, Zimbabwe could not take part in the qualification because of the abortive expedition in the previous edition when the association failed to send the team to Congo for the return leg of the 2013 qualifiers.
Mutengwa is the only Zimbabwean official at the Under-17 tournament and will be joined by 27 others from the continent.
He is also expected to officiate in a Confederation Cup match between hosts Royal Leopards of Swaziland and South Africa’s Bidvest Wits over the weekend of February 14-15 February.
Mutengwa and Bulawayo-based Salani Ncube will be one assistants to Norman Matemera for the assignment.
Last Year’s Castle Lager Premiership referee of the year Thabani Bamala complete the team as the fourth official.
Zifa Communications manager Xolisani Gwesela said it was encouraging that local match officials were getting recognition by Caf.
“We are happy that our referees are being recognised by the Confederation of African Football to participate in regional competitions.
“Getting such appointments is a vote of confidence not only on the referees but on Zimbabwe as a football nation,” said Gwesela.
Online Reporter