The Sunday News
Ngqwele Dube, Sports Correspondent
PREMIERSHIP referees are set to go back to clash this weekend in a scheduled refresher course set for Harare.
The course will see the Zimbabwe Referees Committee taking stock of the performance of match officials in the Castle Lager Premier League so far this season. ZRC vice-chairman, Gladmore Muzambi said the course is one of the three courses scheduled for this year.
He said they were not reacting to the refereeing controversy that has engulfed the Premiership with complaints over poor officiating by teams and fans.
“This is one of the three courses that are supposed to be held this year to ensure our referees are ahead of their game. This (course) one is the mid-year and we are going to have another one before the year ends,” said Muzambi.
ZRC chief instructor Thabani Mnkantjo said it will be more of a revision course for the referees with areas where they haven’t been performing in well also being visited. He said the refresher course for the Zifa Panel will be followed by one for Division One referees on 30 June to 2 July followed the next weekend by another workshop for Class Two referees.
“Two days would be reserved for theory with the third day seeing the match officials going through fitness tests,” said Mnkantjo.
He said in August they are hosting a Member Association Course that would be facilitated by Fifa officials. The course will see a selected number of referees being taken through their paces by Fifa together with local instructors.
The professionalism of referees was thrown into question this week when evidence presented by referee Brighton Chimene and match commissioner Masimba Chihowa, during a PSL disciplinary hearing into the abandonment of a match pitting Highlanders and FC Platinum, was described as unreliable.
In its judgement, the PSL disciplinary committee said the evidence presented by the two witnesses (referee and match commissioner) was at odds with video footage of the events.
Highlanders, who were accused of causing the abandonment of the game played at Mandava, escaped with a not guilty verdict after the hearing.
@rasmthembo
