FIFA’S OVER E200M FOR REFEREEING PROGRAMME

MBABANE – FIFA has invested 12 million Dollars in the Refereeing Assistant Programme for 2021.

Following the introduction of video assistant referee (VAR) technology at the 2018 FIFA World Cup, FIFA will continue to train new referees across the world in new football technologies. This programme will be open to male and female referees in all 211 member-countries. Investment under the Refereeing Assistance Programme (RAP) will total US$12 million in 2021, which is equivalent to about E207 million. This is contained in the FIFA revised budget for 2021.

destroyed

The FIFA Foundation helps to tackle social issues affecting young people, empower women and girls to play football and realise their potential, and repair damaged or destroyed sports infrastructure worldwide. The 2021 budget to help achieve these objectives is about US$8 million. Total investment in women’s football programmes for 2021 is US$15 million.

The aim of FIFA’s Women’s Football Strategy is to promote the development of the women’s game and support it financially as well as give women and girls the opportunity to become actively involved in football as players, coaches, referees and officials. The Football Governance budget is US$35 million for 2020 and US$36 million for 2021, to be invested in football regulatory matters such as the judicial bodies, preventing match manipulation and the Transfer Matching System (TMS).

officiating

Currently, Eswatini has a handful of female referees including Tencwala Soko, Buyisile Mkhaliphi, Xolile Vilakati and Letticia Viana. Apart from officiating domestic tournaments and league games, Viana has refereed in international tournaments such as the COSAFA Women’s Tournaments and Women Olympic Tournaments. Eswatini Women Football Association’s (EWFA’s) Secretary General Aaron Katalala’ Mavimbela thanked FIFA for the non-discriminatory programme and hoped that more ladies would be keen to take the opportunity. He also encouraged former women football players to grab the opportunity and continue contributing to the development of women football in the country.

“This programme will avail opportunities for more female referees for the country since women football is still at a development stage. I would also encourage the referees association to present and market this opportunity in schools so that we can have more future lady referees like Letticia Viena,” said Mavimbela.
Eswatini Referees Association (ERA) Chairman Sipho Kunene said it was imperative that Eswatini referees get acquainted with the new and diverse rules of the game so that they could officiate according to the required standard.

accustomed

“I am happy that FIFA will continue with these programmes. We need more referees to participate in the courses for the development of the sports in the country. In this new era, FIFA has added new rules so we also need to be accustomed to them,” said Kunene.
He further encouraged match commissioners and other officials to familiarise themselves with the rules of the game as per the world standard because failure to do so would only be a letdown to the country as far as football is concerned.

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