Chronicle Editor
Ricky Zililo, Senior Sports Reporter
THE Zifa referees committee has written to Fifa, seeking authority to reschedule referees, instructors and match assessors’ physical courses after failing to get clearance from the Sports and Recreation Commission (SRC).
The courses had been billed to start with a four-day elite referees’ course today followed by the trainers’ programme to have been attended by instructors from the country’s 10 provinces from August 12-16.
The referees’ assessors’ course had been set for August 20-24, with the month-long Fifa training programme being capped with a young talent course for match officials below the age of 25 from September 4-8.
Bryton Malandule, the referees’ committee chairperson, said they’ve sent a request to Fifa to reschedule the programmes.
He said failure to host the Fifa training programmes would see Zimbabwean referees being overlooked for appointments in the World Cup qualifiers, which kick-off on September 1.
“According to Fifa, referees are supposed to run four times a year and we held our fitness test in February. We’re already due for another fitness test and Fifa is aware that our referees are inactive because there is no football in Zimbabwe. What this means is that we’re putting them (referees) at the risk of not being appointed to officiate in the upcoming World Cup qualifiers, as well as other international competitions.
“This is why we’re pushing to have this physical course for the good of our referees as well as our sport. By asking Fifa to consider pushing back the course by at least a week, our hope is that maybe President Mnangagwa may relax some Covid-19 measures in his next address to the nation,” said Malandule.
He said the SRC’s response shocked them as they had pledged to abide by all existing Covid-19 standard operating protocols by having all participants tested for Covid-19 before being admitted into a bio-bubble.
“Look, we’re aware that schools are preparing to open and some classes take between 30 and 50 pupils, while our courses are restricted to 30 participants. Furthermore, we’re aware that there are Covid-19 standard operating procedures from the SRC, which we had said we’re going to follow. We had proposed to have a bubble for all participants and officials. They were also going to get tested before getting into camp. What we had expected SRC to do as our regulatory body is to represent us because they know the consequences of international federations when one misses such opportunities.
“Also, about 80 percent of our members, including referees on the Fifa panel, have been vaccinated. What we’re saying is that by admitting vaccinated officials, we wouldn’t be discriminating against those who haven’t inoculated, but we will be protecting others,” said Malandule. — @ZililoR
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