Referee Mudzamiri turns to High Court
By Mathew Masinge
Top referee Brighton Mudzamiri says he is on the brink of losing out on a lifetime opportunity if the courts fail to consider his case.
The renowned referee has filed an urgent chamber application at the High Court compelling the Registrar General to issue him with a travel document after he was invited to officiate a World Cup qualifying match between Mauritius and Mozambique.
The match has been set for September 4th in Mauritius.
“The applicant (Mudzamiri) is a renowned Zimbabwean referee who has been invited by the World governing body, FIFA to officiate a World Cup qualifying match between Mozambique and Mauritius as a match assessor on the 4th of September 2019 in Mauritius.
“This is a lifetime opportunity for the applicant and Zimbabwe as a country and once missed the applicant won’t get that opportunity especially if it is missed because of our country’s reluctance to issue travel documents to its citizens.
“If missed FIFA will not consider Zimbabwe referees for other assignments such as this one,” reads Mudzamiri’s application.
Mudzamiri submitted that his passport expired on June 30, 2017 and he only applied for its renewal on June 29 this year.
He says the Rwandan embassy had to intervene for him last month after he was invited to attend an ongoing FIFA instructor’s course in Rwanda where he was allowed to use an Emergency travel document.
In cementing his application, the referee claims both Mauritius and South Africa do not permit or accept the aforesaid emergency travel documents in their respective countries.
“I applied for the renewal of my passport through the normal application procedure on the 28 of June and that passport is still awaiting processing at the Registrar General office.
“I approached the office of the 1st Respondent on the 24th of July 2019 requesting my passport application to be upgraded to the status of emergence passport application.
“However, I was only advised that there is no sufficient paper for the processing of passports,” said Mudzamiri.
FIFA has already booked Mudzamiri’s flight for September 2 with the matter still pending at the High Court. H Metro
