Local male referees will miss the Africa Cup of Nations finals for the seventh time in a row, Times Sport can reveal.
The Confederation of African Football (Caf) Tuesday released a list of 32 referees and 33 assistant referees who have been selected to officiate at the continental showpiece to be staged in Ivory Coast next year.
The last time a male Malawian referee officiated at Afcon finals was in 2012 when Moffat Champiti, now a referees’ instructor, was part of the officiating team for the joint Afcon finals held in Gabon and Equatorial Guinea.
National Referees Association General Secretary Chris Kalichero was sarcastic in his response Tuesday, saying Malawian male referees deserved rest, having been involved in other international tournaments.
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“Our referees cannot be everywhere. They were busy with other international competitions and, as such, they need to rest,” he said.
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However, Football Association of Malawi (Fam) Referees Development Officer Fred Kholopa said it is unfortunate that local male referees continue to miss out on Afcon finals since 2012.
“This was due to the approach then. Most of our top referees were hitting their prime during their retirement age and, as such, not many could officiate at Afcon.
“However, we changed the approach and we should get positive results, maybe in a year or two, because some of the referees are training under close supervision,” he said.
Kholopa cited Clemence Kanduku as one of the elite referees likely to make the grade while the likes of Godfrey Nkhakananga, Pondamali Tembo and Gift Chico are among potential referees that have been earmarked for further developmental programmes to make the Caf grade.
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On his part, Champiti— who, along with Bester Kalombo and Verson Lwanja, officiated at Afcon finals— backed the current training programme.
“Previously, we had no transition plan but now we have. We concentrate on both physical and mental aspects of the game,” he said.
This season, some referees have come under fire for either bias or incompetent officiation.
