Times Of Swaziland: FIFA GIVES WINGS TO REF LETTICIA

FIFA GIVES WINGS TO REF LETTICIA
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Ashmond Nzima on 24/11/2022 06:46:00


MBABANE – World soccer governing body FIFA has paid a glowing tribute to
Eswatini top referee Letticia Viana.
This was through an article titled, ‘Letticia Viana: Blowing whistles beyond
Eswatini borders’, which has been published on the official FIFA website.
Viana has been commended for setting milestones as a FIFA-accredited referee.
The 37-year-old recently became the first Eswatini referee to officiate in the
Video Assistant Referee (VAR) section of FIFA Under-17s Women’s World Cup in
India recently.  Viana is the first Eswatini female to become a FIFA-accredited
referee in 2015.  She has also officiated in Women’s Africa Cup of Nations and
CAF Women Champions League matches.
“When Letticia Viana started her refereeing career in 2005, she probably
couldn’t fathom what was in store for her in the future. The then 20-year-old
referee of Eswatini probably just wanted to break the glass ceiling in a field
that was dominated by men in Africa. “She was, perhaps, aware of the fear of
failure, and that a small misstep could snowball into something calamitous. But,
Viana took the challenge head-on and emerged as a winner. ‘‘Recently, she
achieved the rare feat of becoming the first Eswatini woman referee to officiate
in the VAR section of the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in India (2022). And it
was only a small, albeit major, part of her many achievements,” reads the
article in part.
The article further went on to detail that the road to success wasn’t easy
though. It took hard work, dedication and Viana’s undying passion for the game
to leave an impact. Two years after Viana started refereeing, she was promoted
to the Premier League of  Eswatini (PLE) in 2007 and became the first woman in
the history of  Eswatini football to achieve such an honour. “Soon, the
country’s football administrators started taking note of Viana’s physical
fitness and mental fortitude and began putting her in charge of the big games.
Her work ethic continued to impress the powers that be as she advanced through
the ranks quickly. Eventually, in 2015, her efforts bore fruit when her talent
was recognised by the world’s leading football body and she became a
FIFA-accredited referee. It was a key milestone in her career, as she became the
first Swazi (liSwati) female referee in history to have a FIFA badge,” further
highlighted the article.
With her status as a referee significantly improved, Viana was called to oversee
in major games. One of her major career highlights was when she was selected to
officiate in the 2016 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon. Her first
assignment in the tournament was a match between Nigeria and Kenya. The
37-year-old later built on her success by completing the CAF Elite A women
refereeing course and officiating at the CAF Women Champions League in Cairo,
Egypt, in 2021. A few topics for this course included the use of VAR effectively
and a physical fitness test and learning these helped Viana make the cut for the
Under-17 Women’s World Cup in India this year.
“This was a practical-oriented course and I got an opportunity to officiate
matches while working with VAR, which was a good experience,” Viana was quoted
saying. Viana’s rise as a referee is said to be an inspiring story. It has
also helped popularise the game in Eswatini as the EFA has organised several
refereeing courses that included the likes of FIFA-accredited referees Thulani
Sibandze, Thembinkosi Magagula and Buyisile Mkhaliphi, among others. EFA
president Peter Simelane highlighted the transformation of refereeing in the
country.
“Of a significant highlight is the growth of our refereeing, where we have
witnessed leading referee, Letticia Viana, officiating at the third consecutive
Women Africa Cup of Nations. She has since got a historic appointment to
officiate in the VAR section of the FIFA U-17 Women World Cup,” Simelane was
quoted by the EFA website. In between refereeing, Viana is also a qualified
sports development officer after completing an advanced diploma course in sport
management and recreation. Looking back at her journey, Viana feels that things
wouldn’t have been possible without the support of EFA and others. “I love
Eswatini because it is peaceful, a very respectful nation that provides equal
opportunities for everyone regardless of your race, gender and religion,” she
said.