CAF SNUBS LOCAL REFS

MBABANE – All is not well for local referees as they have been recently snubbed by the Confederation of Africa Football (CAF) for the 2019 AFCON Qualifiers.

With about 48 games to be played during the FIFA week in the 2019 African Cup of Nations qualifiers, no local referees have been assigned by the African football mother body. The referees were also left out of the CAF Champions League and the CAF Confederation Cup matches currently on the semi-final stages.

There are six local referees who are FIFA accredited and they are namely; Gcina Mamba, Sifiso Nxumalo, Petros Mbingo, Thulani Sibandze, Mbongiseni Fakudze and lady referees Leticia Vienna.

CAF appointed 136 referees to officiate in the qualifiers from all over the African continent. A source close to the matter said failure by Eswatini Football Association (EFA) to hire a Referees Manager has contributed to the snub among other things. EFA announced during the General Assembly that it was on course of hiring the Referees Manager as per CAF demands.

Eswatini Referees Association (ERA) Chairman Sipho Kunene said they have been kept waiting by EFA when it comes to the hiring of the referees manager.
“It is true that our local referees are not part of the Referee’s assignments by CAF for the AFCON qualifiers but EFA can give the best answers to that. The referees Association has been just kept waiting when it comes to the hiring of the referees’ manager and he was supposed to have started office a month ago, according to what was said during the General Assembly,” he said.

The last international assignment given to local referees was in May in Mozambique. The referees who have been called up by CAF come from countries including Lesotho, Mozambique, Botswana, South Africa, Zimbabwe and Zambia, among others.

Visiting FIFA Refereeing Instructor Felix Tangawarima said he expected the country’s referees to take charge of games in the CAF Champions League and Confederation Cup group stages in a year or so. He was reacting to their ‘commitment’ during the closing ceremony of the FIFA Member Associations Refereeing Course at EFA Technical Centre in Lobamba in August. EFA Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Frederick Mngomezulu said there was no snub for the referees but the right to call up referees for international duties lies with CAF. He said they had no control over it.

“I cannot say it’s a snub but some of our local referees still officiate in international assignments like Leticia Viena and Dudu Dube who are from attending and officiating in the last month. It is the country’s dream to have referees appointed for big tournaments like the AFCON,” he said.

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