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Sikhumbuzo Moyo, Senior Sports Reporter 

ZIMBABWE Referees Committee chairman Bryton Malandule says Caf accredited instructor Sabelo Sibindi has not been struck off the list of match commissioners in the country despite her name not being among delegates set to attend a refresher course at the end of the month.

The course is set for April 30 to May 2 at Bulawayo Polytechnic College

“We can’t have students lecturing their lecturer. Sibindi is a Caf accredited instructor and cannot be invited to attend classes for this course. It’s not true that she has been retired; how do you retire someone of that stature,” said Malandule.

Besides Sabelo three other match commissioners and former top referees Mlindeli Ndebele and Edson Nkau were iced out, with Malandule saying the option of promoting and demoting lies with his committee using its discretion.

Top cop Svosverai Chokuda, Allen Basvi, and rising female referee Blessing Mpande have reportedly been frozen out.

Meanwhile,  the refresher course is yet to be approved by the Sports and Recreation Commission although Malandule remains confident that they will get the go ahead.

“As per requirements, we applied to the government via the regulatory body the SRC for us to hold our pre-season course as we prepare for the resumption of the game next month. We assured authorities in our application for this course that we will fully abide by laid down standard operating procedures during the course and also all delegates will undergo the mandatory PCR test for Covid-19 before resumption of the course.

“While we are yet to get a response from the SRC, we are confident that they will grant us the go ahead, but are also cognisant that the right to go ahead solely lies with them,” said Malandule.

He also said there will be a fitness test for the referees that will be conducted by  national team fitness instructor Makonese Masakadza.

“There will be two groups of 40, meaning only one day in class. The following weekend we will have 30 commissioners who will be taken through their drills by one of Africa’s best Fifa instructors Felix Tangawarima. It should be noted that training of referees never stopped,” Malandule said.