Zifa takes over appointment of PSL referees

ZIFA has taken over the appointment of referees for the Castle Lager Premiership following an executive meeting held in Harare last weekend.

Referees appointed by Zifa took charge of all midweek games.

PSL chief executive officer Kennedy Ndebele had temporarily taken over appointment of referees in June after the confusion surrounding the formation of the ill-fated National Football Association of Zimbabwe (Nafaz) following the purported dissolution of Zifa by its council.

Nafaz failed to stand the legal test and all office bearers reverted to Zifa as bewilderment continued to engulf local football.

Xolisani Gwesela, Zifa communications manager, said the association's president Philip Chiyangwa is handling the referees' portfolio pending the appointment of a referees' committee.

"A decision was made at last weekend's executive meeting that Zifa takes over appointments of referees. All PSL matches played during the week were handled by match officials appointed by Zifa. At the moment, all matters involving referees are being handled by the president (Chiyangwa) until a substantive referees' committee has been set. Names of people who will lead all the committees will be revealed in due course," said Gwesela.

The PSL said their decision to take over the appointment of referees was meant to protect sponsors and the league in the aftermath of confusion brewed by the attempted dissolution of Zifa and Nafaz's still-birth.

Chiyangwa had during the Nafaz days appointed PSL chairman Peter Dube as head of the referees' committee; which was against regulations on the organisation of refereeing among Fifa member associations.

Part of Article 4 of the regulations reads: ". . .members may not be affiliated to any clubs, league or any other football organisation."

Without the referees' committee, it has been difficult to classify the referees in each category on the basis of their performance in selected matches and propose promotions or demotions.

Other duties of the referees' committee include appointing match officials, nominating candidates for the international list eligible to officiate in international matches according to Fifa regulations governing the registration of international referees, assistant referees, Futsal referees and beach soccer referees on Fifa's lists.

The referees' committee also has to ensure local referees comply with standard refereeing methods as established by Fifa for uniform implementation of the laws of the game; approve the referee instructor and assessor panels as well as approve administrative regulations governing refereeing.

Zimbabwe referees are in danger of being removed from the international panel, as they are yet to undergo training clinics to familiarise them with new changes of the game because there has been no referees' committee to organise such programmes since the present Zifa administration took office in December.

Besides the referees' committee, Chiyangwa is expected to name heads of other committees that include finance, audit, competitions, technical and development, Futsal and beach soccer, and player status.