LETTICA RETIREMENT CONFIRMED

MBABANE – Mbongeni Shongwe, the Secretary of the Eswatini Referees Association (ERA), expressed deep sadness about the retirement of esteemed referees.

He was reacting to the retirement of the celebrated Letticia Viana, who is Eswatini’s Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA)-Accredited Referee and Assistant Referee Sifiso Nxumalo from domestic football. Shongwe conveyed his hope that despite their retirement from domestic football, their wealth of experience in Africa would pave the way for their continued journey on the big stage.

Distinguished

He also noted that the two distinguished referees, despite their retirement, were still young and could potentially officiate for another one or two years. “While it pains us to see them retire, they have brought us immense joy. Their contributions locally and internationally have left a lasting impact, and we believe that the remaining officials have learned from their exemplary careers,” expressed Shongwe. He further expressed optimism that there would be another official who could match and even surpass Letticia’s achievements.

Shongwe also emphasised the association’s commitment to developing future referees in the country, highlighting the availability of various courses aimed at nurturing upcoming talent. Efforts were made to obtain Viana’s comment on her retirement, but the Match Commissioner for the game between Nsingizini Hotspurs and Madlenya, Enerst Dlamini, mentioned that Viana was currently active under FIFA until December, therefore she could not comment.  Viana’s journey as a referee has been marked by remarkable achievements. Just two years after commencing her career as a referee, she ascended to the Premier League of Eswatini (PLE) in 2007, becoming the first woman in Eswatini football to achieve such a milestone.

Officiating

Her exceptional physical fitness and mental fortitude led to her officiating significant matches, including the country’s biggest derby. In 2015, FIFA acknowledged her talent, giving her as a FIFA referee, marking a historic moment as she became the first Eswatini female referee to receive a FIFA badge. Additionally, she achieved the extraordinary feat of being the first Eswatini woman referee to officiate in the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) section of the FIFA Under-17 Women’s World Cup in India in 2022.

Meanwhile, Nxumalo, the retiring Assistant Referee, expressed satisfaction with their local officiating and was pleased to see other officials representing the country internationally. He emphasised the importance of love, patience and continuous updates on the laws of the game in the field of refereeing. Nxumalo reflected on his 17-year journey as a referee, highlighting memorable experiences such as officiating in the World Cup Qualifiers in Burundi in 2018, where he encountered a challenging game between Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

Tough

“I will always remember the World Cup Qualifiers in Burundi in 2018, where Burundi was playing against DRC; that was a tough game. They are similar to South Africa and Eswatini; they both share a border. The stadium was fully packed, that game was intense but we managed with Fakudze, Petros Mbingo and Simanga Nhleko. Even the assessor was impressed in the way we were able to conduct the game,” expressed Nxumalo. He also had a FIFA badge until recently. He was one of few remaining senior referees. He worked with the likes of Mbongiseni Fakudze and Simanga Nhleko, who equally had illustrious careers.

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