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Monalisa John
TOP Zimbabwe referee Brighton Chimene headlined a busy weekend for the country’s match officials as they took charge of Confederation of African Football assignments around the continent.
Chimene was at the centre of the match between Artar Solar7 of Djibouti and Dekadaha of Somalia.
During the game which was played at Azam Complex in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania because Djobiuti does not have a CAF-certified stadium, Chimene was assisted by countrymen Edgar Rumeck (first assistant) Thomas Kusosa (second assistant) and Lawrence Zimondi who was the fourth official.
While Chimene and his crew were in Tanzania, ex-referee Tendayi Bwanya overseeing the Confederation Cup preliminary round game between Nsingizini Hotspurs of Eswatini and South Africa’s Stellenbosch where he was the Match Commissioner at Moses Mabhida in Durban.
ZIFA Referees Committee chairman Norman Matemera was also on a CAF tour of duty as Match Commissioner in the Champions League encounter between Kalisto Pasuwa’s Malawi kings Nyasa Big Bullets and Red Arrows of Zambia.
There is also a female touch to the CAF call-ups of local referees with Mercy Mayimbo and Progress Chatsamwa officiating at the ongoing CAF Women’s Champions League COSAFA qualifier in Malawi. Veterans Sabelo Maphosa and Faith Mloyi are also in Malawi as technical instructors.
The return of local match officials to CAF duties has impressed Matemera.
“We always feel good when our referees get appointments for international matches from CAF, the same feeling we must also spread to every Zimbabwean.
“I’m happy to say that they did not disappoint in the recent outings, Matemera said.
The ZIFA referees’ boss also said the CAF appointments would positively impact on the confidence of local officials.
“Of course, the appointments are a confidence booster and show that CAF have confidence in the direction we are taking as Zimbabwean referees.
“In the early stages of the PSL matches, we had a lot of mistakes from our referees, maybe it was an issue of finding their groove but we kept on working hard to find the consistency that we now enjoy.
“The standards are set the world over through the FIFA courses which we hold yearly and locally we have those standards.
“What needs to be done going forward is to be consistent in the way we do business on the field of play. “CAF have their way of tracking their referees and these appointments are a sign from them that we are okay, we are not as bad as some would want to portray but we have to up the tempo always and aim for perfection,” Matemera said.
Matemera also revealed that local referees would not be part of the forthcoming Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, scheduled for next month.
“Unfortunately, the appointments have already been done and we don’t have any of our referees on the list.
“We are looking forward to the October international break, hopefully, we will have a team of referees going for international assignments.
“To set the record straight . . . for a country to be appointed for AFCON or World Cup qualifier must have an elite A or senior elite B referee.
“At the moment, Zimbabwe doesn’t have either because we are just coming from FIFA suspension.
Peter Tanyanyiwa
Online Reporter