* This course is groundbreaking as it is the first of its kind in southern Africa
* This is in line with FAM’s transforming agenda on embracing technology on management of the game
Maravi Express
Football Association of Malawi (FAM) says it will continue investing in referees capacity development as they are the pinnacle of football.
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FAM president Fleetwood said this on Monday evening at Hotel Victoria in Blantyre during the opening of the five-day video assistant referee (VAR) stimulator course participated by 35 Malawi elite referees and 20 referees from the CAF Women’s Champions League-COSAFA qualifier.
This course is groundbreaking as it is the first of its kind in southern Africa and Haiya says this is in line with FAM’s transforming agenda on embracing technology on management of the game.
“We are very thankful to COSAFA for considering Malawi for this training we do not take it for granted,” he said. “We believe this will take Malawi football to the next level.
“We have broken the record — Malawi is the first country to benefit from this training [in southern Africa]. As FAM we resolved to embrace technology, including VAR, as part of Malawi’s football transformation.
“We already have two VAR compliant and licenced referees but that is not enough. We need as many referees as possible to have such skills as we move together to transform our football.”
Haiya added that once a good number of Malawian referees are capacitated, FAM will consider, in one of its projects, buying the VAR equipment, which will be strategically positioned at various stadia to bring fairness to the game and usage of the resources.
Meanwhile, COSAFA referees manager and FIFA instructor, Felix Tangawarima has described the course as groundbreaking and worth emulating for the rest of southern Africa’s football fraternity.
“For us, as COSAFA and the Football Association of Malawi, it is what we can say is a groundbreaking activity which is happening here,” Tangawarima said. “It is happening for the first time. We are taking the referees through VAR in a class.
“With VAR, communication is very important and everything we are doing here by the end of the five days, it will be easy to take the referees onto the field of play because they would have looked at all what is required there.
“We are very grateful to the Football Association of Malawi for organising this course, which is the first in the region and the first in Africa.”
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The refereeing legend further urged the rest of the football associations in the region to emulate FAM’s example by organising similar courses: “It is the first in the region and the first in Africa.
“Malawi has opened the doors for us. We must roll it out to other national associations — let us take this to the rest of the region.”
According to Tangawalima, the training will take the referees through match situations and refer them to on-field review screens.
Meanwhile, all is set for the CAF Women’s Champions League 2024-COSAFA qualifier that attracts eight teams from Thursday, August 15-24.
The teams are the hosts, Malawi Women’s Football National Champions, Ascent Soccer; Herentals Queens (Zimbabwe); FC Ongos Ladies (Namibia); University of Western Cape (South Africa); Green Buffaloes (Zambia); Gaborone United Ladies (Botswana); UD Lichinga (Mozambique); Young Buffaloes (eSwatini).
Ascent Soccer are in Group B alongside Gaborone United Ladies (Botswana), Uniao Despotiva de Lichinga (Mozambique) and eSwatini’s Young Buffaloes.
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The hosts will first meet Young Buffaloes on Friday, August 16 from 15h00 before meeting UD de Lichinga two days later, August 18 and Gaborone United on August 20.
Group A has University of Western Cape FC; 2022 winners, Green Buffaloes; Herentals Queens and FC Ongos Ladies from Namibia.
University of Western Cape; Herentals Queens (Group A); Gaborone United; União Desportiva de Lichinga; and Ascent Soccer (Group B) are five debutantes at this edition while eSwatini’s Young Buffaloes are appearing for the third time.
The top two teams in each of the groups advance to the semifinals, with only the winner of the competition advancing to the continental finals later this year, where two-time African champions Mamelodi Sundowns have already qualified as holders.—Reporting by Fam.mw; editing by Maravi Express
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