ESWATINI REFS NOW FEEL SAFE – ERA CHAIRPERSON

MBABANE – “Referees now feel safe during MTN Premier League games.”

These were the comments of Eswatini Referees Association (ERA) Chairperson Jabulani Motsa, who has come out to thank the Premier League of Eswatini (PLE) and Eswatini Football Association (EFA) on the recently-ended meeting that took place early this month. The meeting was for surging a way forward and looking at the solutions on how their grievances can be heard with the MTN league games now on the last round of fixtures.

“Ever since we met with PLE, EFA and the Referees Committee in that meeting at the start of the year, it has proven to be very successful. Referees have been reporting that they now feel safe during the games. They now feel like the presence of police officers in the games can be felt and that they are really protecting them. We are really grateful as the Referees Association on what PLE and EFA have done since the meeting took place. We have noticed in the games that for the safety of the referees, the issue of safety was dealt with,” he said.

Motsa also mentioned that referees in the country were on a programme implemented by the referees committee. “Supporters are always intimidating referees during the MTN games, so now we have provided a programme for the Eswatini referees that works on their minds so that when they officiate during the games; they concentrate and apply the laws of the game all the time,” he said.

A referee who attended the meeting, speaking on condition of anonymity, revealed to this publication that referees believed to have influenced the outcome of a PLE game would be suspended and the media would be made aware of it, such as is normally done in other countries. “In that meeting we resolved that the RC should divulge the names of the referees who have blundered but for now they haven’t been any referees believed to have influenced a game. The meeting with PLE, referees association and the CEO representing football associations came to an agreement that any referee who blundered during a game should be suspended and his name publicised for the media,” he said.

Perfomances

This comes in light of Eswatini referees and match officials who were put in the spotlight by the supporters, by accusing them of influencing the outcome of games with their lacklustre performances in the MTN Premier League matches. This went on to land both Mbabane giants in trouble. They had to face the Eswatini Football Association (EFA) Disciplinary Committee’s wrath. The DC, after hearing Highlanders’ case came out with a verdict that they were guilty on three of the four counts they faced. It was then that they were fined E70 000. As if that was not enough, the capital city giants also played their next MTN Premier League match against Tambuti without their fans. Swallows were also slapped with a E70 000 fine on top of playing the next two home fixtures in an empty stadium after being found guilty of two misconduct charges.

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