MBABANE – The Eswatini Referees Association (ERA) has taken a significant step towards professionalising its ranks by rolling out national association badges for its top-flight match officials.
ERA Secretary Mbongeni Shongwe confirmed that this is a first-of-its kind for Eswatini football and is designed to bring the country’s standards in line with those of other Council of Southern Africa Football Association (COSAFA) member associations.
“We sat down with the Eswatini Football Association (EFA) and discussed means of standardising with the rest of the region. We then decided to roll out these badges to our top-flight referees,” Shongwe explained.
The accreditation has initially been issued only to referees operating in the MTN Premier League and the MulaSport National First Division (NFD). The rationale, Shongwe noted, is simply to make it clear to anyone who the top-flight referees are and the standard they officiate at, drawing a parallel with the system used by the South African Football Association (SAFA).
Shongwe further stated that the badges will be an annual affair, tied directly to performance reviews. “We will rate the referees every season as we will be providing the badges each season going forward. Based on their ratings, we will promote or relegate them,” he confirmed.
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