Trio flies Zim flag at AFCON

Petros Kausiyo

Zimpapers Sports Hub

THE Warriors may have since returned home after yet another first round Africa Cup of Nations exit, but the Zimbabwe flag is still flying high at the continental football showpiece in Morocco.

This is courtesy of the refereeing exploits of the country’s best officials – Felix Tangawarima, Norman Matemera and Brighton Chimene.

For the sixth time in as many appearances the Warriors could not go beyond their Group B stage, managing just a point from their matches against Egypt, Angola and South Africa.

The local contingent of Warriors, with disappointment and dejection written over their faces, trooped back into the country on New Year’s eve.

But for all the gloom of the latest poor AFCON show by the country’s flagship team, a silver lining is being provided by the country’s match officials.

Record eight-time Zimbabwe Referee of the Year Tangawarima Felix Tangawarima is serving in a mentorship and supervisory role as a CAF Referees Instructor at the on-going Nations Cup tourney.

A highly-respected figure on the continent , Tangawarima is also the COSAFA referees manager and has been a key figure in identifying and nurturing a host of Africa’s top referees.

He has lately continued his legacy by training and mentoring the new generation of match officials, including those working with Video Match Officials (VMOs) or VAR technology.

Former ZIFA referees committee boss Mateemra has also weighed in with his appointment as a match commissioner in Morocco.

But as the 35th edition of the AFCON enters its Round of 16 stage today, it is the youngest of the trio Chimene for whom much of the attention has been focused.

Interestingly both Tangawarima and Chimene have been involved in Chimene’s development.

And he has not disappointed either as he looks to be the heir to Tangawarima’s throne on the domestic scene, having already clipped his fifth PSL Referee of the Year accolade in December.

Chimene will this evening be VAR official in the Round of 16 tie between Mali and Tunisia.

South Africa’s Abongile Tom has been appointed as the centre referee for the encounter as Chimene undertakes VAR duties for the big clash.

Following a 2025 season in which local referees were largely targeted for abuse and used as scapegoats for a number of teams and coaches’ failure, it was through Chimene’s exploits along with members of his regular CAF tours of duty tag team – the enterprising Tafadzwa Nkala, Luckson Mhara and Lawrence Zimondi, who restored credibility to the professions.

His exploits has left ZIFA Referees Committee chairperson Faith Mloyi a proud woman.

“First let me begin by congratulating Brighton Chimene on his appointment to the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations panel of referees.

“This is a historic moment for our country. For Zimbabwe to finally have a referee selected for AFCON after such a long time it is not only a personal achievement for Brighton but also a proud milestone for our entire refereeing fraternity,’’ Mloyi said.

“His appointment is a testament to commitment, consistency, and professionalism.

“Brighton’s achievement sends a very clear message to every referee in Zimbabwe that it is possible. The door has been reopened, and his success shows that our officials can compete at the highest level on the continent.

“This is an enormous source of inspiration to young referees. They now have a real life example of where hard work, discipline, and continuous education can take them’’.

She also called for consistency from local match officials.

“To produce more referees like Brighton, we must remain consistent in our development programmes.

“That means continuous education, improved physical training, use of modern refereeing technology during training. If we stay focused, I am confident Brighton will not be the last’’.

Mloyi said she was not surprised that Chimene was once again voted the best on the domestic scene.

“Brighton’s winning of the Referee of the Year award once again shows his professionalism and the level at which he has been operating week in and week out.

“We are proud of him,’’ Mloyi said.

She also lauded Chimene’s runner-up for the national accolade – Francis Chirwa and Nkala.

“On the runners up Francis Chirwa and Tafadzwa Nkala. I want to commend them for finishing as runners-up.

“Their performances in the 2025 season have been outstanding, and they pushed the competition to very high levels. Their recognition is well deserved and it shows that we have a strong group of referees coming through.

“To Francis, Tafadzwa, Brighton, and all their colleagues:

Let us carry this momentum into 2026. Continue to work hard, stay humble, and remain committed to integrity and excellence.

“Our goal now is to ensure that Brighton’s achievement becomes a regular occurrence, not a once in two decades moment.

“We believe in our referees, and we will continue supporting them to reach even greater heights,’’ added Mloyi.