1ST SWAZI REF IN LINE FOR AFCON 2017

MBABANE – Longserving assistant referee Petros Mbingo is on the threshold of greatness.

He has become the first local assistant referee among the panel of referees to attend the newlyintroduced CAF Elite B Referees’ Course.
He is currently away in Cairo, Egypt for the week long course.
The only local referee who has attended the course is Mbongiseni Fakudze.

He, however, did not do well.
National Football Association of Swaziland (NFAS) acting Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Comfort Shongwe said Mbingo was appointed by the continent’s governing body, the Confederation of African Football to be among the course’s participants.

“He is the senior assistant referee in the country and such appointments should be expected, especially because he was appointed directly by CAF, who monitor referees in their fields as well. Mbingo has always been senior alongside Bhekizizwe Mkhabela but the latter has since retired.

“We have no doubt that whatever he will learn in Egypt will be good for the country because he is expected to come back and impart whatever knowledge he has gained in the country,” Shongwe said.

commit

Interviewed shortly before departure, Mbingo declined to commit himself. He referred enquiries to the National Referees Association of Swaziland (NRAS).
NRAS’ Elphas Ngcamphalala said Mbingo was being developed by CAF to officiate in big continental competitions like the African Nations Cup (AFCON).

“We can expect to see him probably in the 2017 AFCON because he is being groomed for the future. It is a prestigious course and we do hope it will also go a long way in improving the standard of refereeing in the country,” said the retired referee.

Mbingo has been officiating in the top flight for over a decade and has been one of the most consistent referees in the local game.
He is also among the longest serving. He has officiated in regional tournaments such as the COSAFA Senior Challenge, Under-20 and Zone VI Games now known as Region V.

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