dyton mupawaenda
Don Makanyanga
ZIFA referee’s boss Norman Matemera has challenged the 205 match officials selected to handle matches this year to hold the highest levels of integrity and to be a leading example in their line of work.
A panel of 14 match officials, comprising eight men and six women, were selected onto the 2025 FIFA panel through an orientation exercise on Saturday at the ZIFA House.
Matemera said:
“On Saturday, we held an orientation exercise for our officials in which we told them that in everything they do they should be exemplary.
“They are the ambassadors of the country wherever they go to officiate. As ambassadors of the country, a strict code of conduct has to be followed.
“We touched on the aspect of training where we encouraged the referees to train in groups, be it technical or physical, as it brings bonding among the referees.
“We also touched on the need to keep reading the laws of the game so that they will be able to solve most of the situations that crop up during the match and a referee with a deep understanding of the laws of the game is a confident person.”
He added:
“We talked about integrity. We challenged the officials to be honest because whatever they do, be it in the night or in secrecy, if they can repeat it in front of everyone, that’s integrity.
“We urged them to shun all forms of corruption and match-fixing. They must think about tomorrow rather than focus on today. We told them that a good name is better than gold and riches.
“We told them to be able to Recognise, Resist and Report all forms of match-fixing.”
Mathew Masinge
Online Reporter