JOHANNESBURG – FIFA and the South African Football Association (Safa) have begun their pre-season refereeing course ahead of the upcoming 2019/2020 Premier Soccer League (PSL) season.
Forty referees and 18 match commissioners are currently undertaking the course which will touch on the amendments of the laws of the game, along with the introduction of the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) which has evoked0 mixed reaction worldwide.
Although the VAR technology has not been implemented in South Africa, it is part of the current discussion between Safa and the PSL.
The course is split into two sessions, with eight female referees currently participating in the first group. The second group is expected to report on July 26.
“We are very excited about the upcoming season,” said Safa Head of Referees Tenda Masikhwa. “We believe that our referees will have a splendid season.
“They have shown great enthusiasm during the course. We expect them to perform much better this season because they will be well equipped.”
“We are very happy with the fitness levels of all the match officials and are proud to announce that we have deployed two of our female referees to the 2019 Cosafa Women’s Championships which will take place in Port Elizabeth from July 31 to August 11.”