AFTER APPOINTMENT FOR INTERNATIONAL ASSIGNMENT: REFS IN OVER E80K CAF BOUNTY!

MBABANE – Local match officials are set to strike it rich in the upcoming TotalEnergies CAF games.

Reports suggest that four local referees are set to officiate in the TotalEnergies Confederation of African Football (CAF) Champions League. They are expected to earn about E21 000 per match. This will bring the total earnings to E84 000.They will travel to Tanzania for a match to be played on Sunday. After beating Simba to a spot as runners-up in the league, Tanzania giants Azam will host APR from Rwanda in this competition. This is the match where local referees will reportedly officiate. Thulani Sibandze will be the centre referee. He will be assisted by Zamani Simelane and Ndumiso Magagula. Thembinkosi ‘Dovos’ Dlamini completes the list of referees as the fourth official.

The CAF inter-club competitions preliminary round first leg matches will be played from this Friday. Meanwhile, the second leg will be held a week later. Eswatini parades 2023/24 MTN Premier League reigning champions Mbabane Swallows and Nsingizini Hotspurs in the TotalEnergies CAF Confederation Cup. Sibandze recently officiated in the Council of Southern Africa Football Associations (COSAFA) games held in Gqeberha, South Africa (SA) last month. In this event, Simelane served as his assistant. The two further controlled a high-profile match between Zimbabwe and Lesotho in June.

Qualifiers

This was during the 2026 International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) World Cup qualifiers clash held at Orlando Stadium (SA). In addition, Dlamini was a fourth official in this game. Meanwhile, Magagula earlier served as a second assistant in a CAF Confederation Cup game back in 2021. Eswatini Football  Association Marketing and Communications Officer Muzi ‘Rhoo’ Radebe confirmed the list of the referees for the international assignment. “We received correspondence from CAF appointing four local referees for a match and they will be leaving the country for this assignment,” he said.

Several years ago, CAF took over payment of referees officiating international matches. Africa’s football governing body scrapped the system of host countries and their national associations footing the officiating fees, reducing the possibility of home teams influencing match officials under the guise of paying indemnities. The decision reduced the financial burden on national associations and also eliminated an ethical challenge, because it removed the suspicion perceived between national associations and the referees. The referees are paid US$1 200 per match, which is slightly over E21 000 according to yesterday’s currency.

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