Referees under siege
Kabelo Boranabi | Saturday April 22, 2023 06:00
Football’s Gordian knot was tightened earlier this week when a phone call recording between a top referee, Joshua Bondo and BFA official, Monnakgotla Mojaki regarding Gaborone United director, Nicholas Zakhem was leaked.
The leaked audio suggests there are a lot of brown envelopes exchanging hands between clubs and match officials.
The audio emerged just a week after the CAF slapped four top local referees with suspensions. Bondo, who was the referee in the clash between Benin and Rwanda last month, has been given a six-month ban. Others are Mogomotsi Morakile, Kitso Sibanda, and Tshepo Gobagoba who got three-month bans each. A week earlier, second-tier league side, Notwane had taken rising referee, Laone Beleng before the Botswana Football Association (BFA) for suspicion of reporting to duty under the influence of alcohol.
In late February, the BFA suspended four match officials who officiated the Premier League match between Security System and Gaborone United while three more were sanctioned for their frequent late arrivals at Premier League matches. This also has brought the refereeing standards in the country under scrutiny. The match officials, however, operate under dire conditions. In March as per media reports, the officials were owed eight match days’ dues. It was reported that the BFA delayed the payments without giving any thought to the officials.