CHEGUTU- MASHONALAND West Province has been relieved of shortages of soccer referees
following qualification of 19 new referees, who passed the ZIFA affiliated refereeing course
recently.
The new referees started the course about two years ago and set for their final examinations last
month.
The time was prolonged due to the disruptions caused by the Covid1-19 pandemic. Of the 20
students who wrote the final examinations, only one failed to make the grade.
The others managed to get the needed 75 + percent pass mark to qualify as referees.
The course co-ordinator, Jacob Kuuya, congratulated the new referees, saying they could now
practice as class four referees, come 2023.
Congratulations beginners! Those, who passed are now fully qualified referees and will practise
as class four referees, come 2023 soccer season,” said Kuuya in a group message.
He encouraged the one who did not pass to keep on studying the laws of the game so that she
could make it next time.
To the one who could not make it, I can say this is not the end of the road as there is still next
chance, Keep on studying everything we have been doing throughout the course.
Kuuya urged women to take the refereeing course as the recently passed intake had only three
female participants with two of them passing the course.
The new referees encouraged each other not to work under the influence of drugs as this would
lead to wrong decisions. Many referees usually leave the stadiums under police escort because
fans would be baying for their blood after poor refereeing or questionable decisions.
Showman Tsuro of Mashonaland Central Province was killed by soccer fans at Acturus Mine in
the 1980s for allegedly making questionable decisions.
Mashonaland West Province had been hard hit by a shortage of referees for a very long time.
This promptly led to some matches being officiated by suspect officials.
The youngest of all the newly qualified referees is the 15-year-old Norton-based Erum Brandon
while 37-year-old Telfare Songwe was the oldest of all.