Zimbabwe Football Association conducts elite referees’ course

The Zimbabwe Football Association (ZIFA) through its referee’s committee conducted a course for all the high level referees who handle Premier Soccer League (PSL) matches.

Held at Prince Edward High School in Harare, the three day course was aimed at capacitating and realigning the elite match officials with the FIFA and CAF required refereeing techniques.

Speaking to members of the media, the referee’s vice chairperson Ruzive Ruzive said: “The purpose of the course is to get all the top level referees into perspective of both CAF and FIFA expectations.”

He added: “The perspective is to look into the performance of the referees because the football fraternity has been crying over judgement errors and poor performances.

“We want to realign the referees to all the perspective, since we all know they have not held workshops for more than two years now since the outbreak of Covid-19.

“They have to be updated in terms of the amendments of the laws of the game and also in terms of the games on its own.”

Furthermore, Ruzive went on to stress out that the course was also held to prepare and help select referees who will go on the FIFA panel at the end of the current campaign.

“The workshop is preparing them to go on FIFA panel at the end of season. This is the workshop that determines who goes on FIFA panel through their strength.”

With seven games left to end the season, Ruzive said the course is vital for match officials to avoid errors considering the period involves relegation and title winners deciding games.

Facilitating the workshop was the former FIFA and CAF referee Wilfred Mukuna as well as the former ZIFA Referees Committee vice chairperson Gladmore Muzambi.

Also present was the ZIFA Referees Committee secretary general who is also a FIFA instructor Sabelo Maphosa and the ZIFA Technical Director Wilson Mutekede.

Mutekede was pleased with the high turn out of the participants who registered for the ZIFA organised referees course.

“It is imperative to have a huge number of participants and we are very excited that match officials are willing to be educated because match officiating is one of the if not the most important arm of the game.”

Meanwhile, apart from the top flight league referees, match commissioners, referees assessors and selected Division One referees also participated.