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Petros Kausiyo, Harare Bureau
TOP Zimbabwe referee Norman Matemera is relishing yet another tough Caf call of duty after the Harare policeman was tasked with taking charge of the African Cup of Nations qualifier between Ghana and Sierra Leone next month.

Former African champions Ghana will be at home at the Kumasi Baba Yara stadium for the October 11, Group F encounter.

Matemera whose international refereeing profile has been rising with each passing month has been assigned to officiate the game with the assistance of fellow Zimbabweans Thomas Kusosa, Luckson Mhara and fourth official Philani Ncube.

Germain Ngulamba of Central African Republic will be the match official while Rwanda’s Celestine Ntagungira is the Referees’ Assessor.

The Black Stars will be under pressure to win the encounter, their third in the group after suffering a surprise 1-0 defeat by Kenya in Nairobi in their second game.

An own goal by Nicholas Opoku in the first half saw the Black Stars stumble to their first defeat in the qualifiers for the 2019 Nations Cup, scheduled for Jamboree.

The Black Stars will be out to quickly redeem themselves in these qualifiers and Zimbabwe’s Matemera will be the man to preside over the encounter.

Matemera was yesterday humbled by the latest in a string of Caf appointments that have been coming his way.

“It humbles me quite a lot to note that Caf has faith and sees something special in me and my fellow referees by their continued appointments. This trust therefore calls for us Zimbabwe referees to continue working hard.

“It’s only a matter of time before we reach the stars. Behind the scenes everyone associated with Zimbabwe referees is working hard in ensuring that when we go out of the country we will be true ambassadors of this motherland.

“We take much pride in representing this great nation and we promise the nation that we will always give our best no matter the circumstances… Zimbabwe first, personal pride after,’’ Matemera said.

Matemera said although officiating in West Africa was always a testing period he believes he has the character to withstand any intimidating atmosphere including the one that is likely to confront him before an expected full house in Kumasi.

“Because of my police background here at home I do not easily get intimidated,’’ Matemera said.

In the week that Matemera will be officiating in Kumasi, Zimbabwe’s Warriors will be in Kinshasa for a Group G date against the Democratic Republic of Congo in back-to- back encounters against the Leopards, which could define the final pool standings.

Referees’ Committee vice-chairman Gladmore Muzambi in saluting Matemera’s latest appointment yesterday, also issued a warning to some Premiership coaches, some of who he accused of making it a habit to always blame match officials whenever their teams lose.

Muzambi said the continued recognition of the likes of Matemera, Kusosa, Mhara and Ncube was a result of the shift they have been putting into their careers and urged them to maintain the lofty standards they were setting.

“Hard work and honesty is paying for our referees. We hope they continue putting effort and we pray that one day we will have a referee at the World Cup.

“Unfortunately, the good work is sometimes dented by some local coaches who over-promise their teams’ leadership and when they under achieve they want to look at the match officials as scapegoats,’’ Muzambi said.

The veteran administrator, who is also a Caf Match Commissioner, said club officials also needed to be wary of those coaches who would always try to point to referees whenever they are confronted with questions over their teams’ performances.

Muzambi said while his committee regularly dealt with genuine refereeing errors and also censured their members whenever they received complaints, some coaches had constantly remonstrated with and laid blame on the match officials whenever results don’t go their way, without critically analysing the factors that could have contributed to their failures.

“Our advice to club officials is that our match officials are going to be tougher on the technical areas. They are advised that the modern game has become highly technical such that no coach can claim to see an offside from the technical area,’’ Muzambi said.

Meanwhile, Matemera’s female colleague Claris Simango will run the line in today’s Cosafa Women’s final between hosts South Africa and Cameroon in Port Elizabeth.
Simango of Rusape will be the second assistant in a game to be handled by Maria Rivet of Mauritius with Zambia’s Diana Chikokesha as first assistant and Rosalie Rosalie of Madagascar the reserve referee.