Malawian football’s refereeing ranks were reshuffled over the weekend after 11 of 14 match officials passed a gruelling Fifa fitness retest at Bingu National Stadium in Lilongwe City.
However, two assistant referees paid the ultimate price for falling short; that is, the loss of their Fifa international badges.
The retest, held under the eye of Mozambican Fifa instructor Ivan Simiao Bulo on Saturday afternoon, was designed to confirm whether Malawi’s Fifa-listed officials and top local referees still meet the physical standards required to control matches at the highest level.
Fourteen officials lined up for the test—five of them Fifa badge holders and nine drawn from the local elite pool.
It proved too much for Fifa assistant referees Happiness Mbandambanda and Evance Msonda, as well as local elite referee Jimmy Phiri, all of whom were unable to complete the session under Saturday’s hot conditions.
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The consequences were immediate and, for two of them, severe, because Mbandambanda and Msonda hold Fifa status. Their failure means automatic forfeiture of the International Badge—the credential that permits a referee or assistant referee to officiate matches beyond Malawi’s borders.
Both posts on the Fifa list now fall vacant, to be filled only once the Fam Referees Subcommittee submits its recommendations to Fifa.
Phiri, as a local elite referee rather than a Fifa appointee, faces no such loss of status, but will need to retake the test before returning to the middle.
Eleven officials satisfied the fitness requirements and are cleared to resume duty immediately.
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They are Fifa assistant referee Clemence Kanduku, Fifa referees Godfrey Nkhakananga and Mayamiko Kanjere, and local elite referees Alfred Chilinda, Mwayi Msungama, Michael Mwambyale, Waliko Simfukwe, Richard Shumba, Juliana Saizi, Mercy Mziya and Grace Mtambo.
Kanduku, Nkhakananga and Kanjere retain their Fifa status outright, meaning Malawi’s international refereeing contingent— at least for now—holds steady at three, down from five before the weekend’s test.
Former Fifa referee Verson Lwanja, who sat on the panel as spokesperson for the Fam Referees Subcommittee, praised those who passed for the discipline behind their preparation and urged them not to let up.
“This is not the finish line,” he said.
Speaking separately in his role as spokesperson for the National Referees Association, Lwanja outlined what comes next for those who fell short.
“Those who failed, by contrast, face a lengthier road back: they will be provisionally replaced on match assignments, given time to retrain, and required to sit the fitness test again before being cleared to officiate.
“They will not be officiating any matches until December,” Lwanja said.
