Chronicle Editor
Ricky Zililo, Senior Sports Reporter
ONE of the country’s revered football whistlemen Norman Matemera will be struck off the Fifa panel and Zifa elite panel after failing the elite referees’ fitness test in Harare last weekend.
The mandatory test required by Fifa before submitting a list of international referees for 2022, had 80 participating officials.
The tests also coincided with the resumption of topflight action through the Chibuku Super Cup.
Matemera was one of nine top referees who failed the test.
Out of the 80 referees that attended the fitness tests, 15 are on the Fifa panel and 65 on the elite Zifa class.
Stella Ruvinga, who was also on the Fifa panel, Artwell Mazire, Yasin Yasin, Joel Magweva, Anthony Siyavundah, Zibusiso Nkomo, Lorraine Mondoka and Neria Tembo, who are all in the Zifa elite list, failed the test.
“We had our fitness test over the weekend and despite the fact that we were on Covid-19 national lockdown, training by referees never stopped. Provincial fitness coaches under the guidance of our national fitness instructor Makonese Masakadza sent programmes to referees during the lockdown,” said Zifa referees committee chairperson Bryton Malandule.
“Masakadza and his team of physical instructors, who include Morris Banda, a Fifa trained fitness coach, helped us conduct the tests for our elite referees, including those on the Fifa panel and those on the Zifa elite panel. nine failed, leaving us with 71 elite referees.
“Thanks Nyahuye, who is on the Fifa panel, did not participate as she is sidelined by injury that saw her pulling out of the Cosafa tournament recently. Unfortunately for Matemera and Ruvinga, Fifa rules say those who would have failed tests conducted from June1, 2021, are not eligible for 2022 unless they are injured or have a doctor’s report like Nyahuye, who is still eligible even though she never ran. Those who ran and failed are out,” Malandule said. — @ZililoR
Online Reporter