09 Mar 2016

Hooliganism at football grounds has been identified as a factor which deters women from becoming referees.

Speaking in an interview recently, the chairperson of the Central Region Referees Association (CRRA) Thapelo Lefu said women are reluctant to venture into match officiating due to abusive language and bullying by fans.

He said three women recently expressed interest in refereeing but two pulled out. The remaining one is awaiting a fitness test and to enrol in a match officiating course.

He said one must be physically and mentally fit to become a referee.

He added that referees are also required to be literate so that they can read the laws of the game. He said that they should also be of acceptable behaviour so that they do not clash with players and fans when under pressure. He said body weight does not matter as long as someone is physically and mentally fit.

He said to become an accredited referee, one must pass a fitness test and take a FIFA accredited match officiating course offered by the Botswana Football Association, which comes in three levels - Intermediary, Preliminary and Advanced.

He said refereeing does not reward economically at a lower level but when money is available the referee gets financial rewards. He said refereeing keeps one fit at all times, adding that it can transform an individual into a public figure who travels worldwide. He gave Joshua Bondo as an example.

He encouraged Mahalapye women to try their hand at match officiating, especially that there are three FIFA accredited match officiating instructors in Mahalapye, among them Gogontlemang Keoratile and Colonel Mmonwagotlhe Senai. He implored them to ignore insults at football grounds as they usually fade with time.

On other issues, he said CRRA is looking to train young referees between the ages of 12 and 17 years. He said that they have one young referee in Mahalapye who studies at a local primary school. Ends