Online Reporter
Zimpapers Sports Hub
They may not have been so popular with some cartels, which sought to have their say and manipulate the appointment of match officials for the Premier Soccer League and other Divisions but the new-look ZIFA Referees committee are not showing any signs of being intimidated.
Instead, they have come up with a raft of measures, which they believe will enhance integrity and ethical conduct during the 2025 Castle Lager PSL season, which bursts into life on Friday when newboys Scottland square off against league returnees Triangle at Rufaro.
They will similarly be responsible for the country’s Four Division One leagues and other divisions playing association football.
ZIFA opened a new chapter in the governance of the game when they appointed Faith Mloyi, to become the first time to head the Referees committee.
A fine referee during her active days, Mloyi leads a cast that also includes Munyaradzi Majoni (vice-chairperson), Jacob Kuuya, Makonese Masakadza, and Rusina Kuda Chiramba, while Joshua Tigere (refer-ees’ manager) will handle the match officials’ affairs on a full-time basis from the ZIFA secretariat.
The new committee underwent their induction in Harare on Sunday, presided over by ZIFA vice-president Kenny Ndebele and the association’s chief executive officer Yvonne Manwa.
Former referee, business executive, and ex-Sports and Recreation Commission chairman Anthony Mandiwanza also addressed the referees’ leadership and shared some of his vast experience with the game and on governance matters.
It was from that induction that Mloyi and her team came out with some resolutions, which they believe will help restore some of the credibility that was lost amid a crazy first 11-match days last season, which were controversy-riddled.
Their predecessors, led by Norman Matemera, also had to grapple with questionable conduct by some of their member referees last year. ZIFA yesterday confirmed the resolutions made by the Mloyi committee via a statement.
“ZIFA successfully conducted an induction for the newly appointed Referees Committee on Sunday, 23 February, in Harare.
“A highlight of the session was an address by distinguished former referee, Mr. Anthony Mandiwanza, who drew from his vast refereeing experience to inspire, challenge, and motivate the committee members as they embark on their mandate,’’ read part of the statement.
“ZIFA reaffirms that the Referees Committee is a standing committee within the statutes of the association and operates under the auspices of ZIFA rather than as an independent entity’’.
Among the key resolutions was to ensure that Tigere, by virtue of being a full-time referees’ manager, would serve as the committee’s secretary and handle the bulk of the work pertaining to the country’s match officials.
The other resolutions include that:
- The Referees Manager will serve as the secretary to the committee.
- All financial transactions related to refereeing will be handled exclusively by ZIFA; no payments will be processed outside the association’s structures.
- To maintain integrity and eliminate conflicts of interest, committee members will not serve as match officials in any capacity, including as assessors or match commissioners.
- There will be no promotions to the ZIFA Referees Panel for the current year.
Mloyi’s committee is also expected to soon draft a Code of Conduct, which will be subject to approval by the ZIFA Legal Committee.
They have also sought to ensure continuity in the refereeing channel by developing young talent.
“A recruitment drive will be launched to attract young referees aged between 18 and 25, ensuring the future sustainability of refereeing in Zimbabwe.
“ZIFA remains committed to upholding the highest standards in refereeing and ensuring that match officials operate with professionalism, integrity, and transparency.
“The association looks forward to working with the newly-inducted referees committee to achieve these objectives,’’ added ZIFA.
