Premier Soccer League (PSL) referees were this weekend taken through a fitness test, theory and practical sessions to have them refreshed for the resumption of the Betway Premiership this week – and also for the upcoming Nedbank Cup, which will get underway in the second week of next month.
The fitness assessments and classroom activities are being conducted at Germiston Stadium until tomorrow. Safa’s head of referees Abdul Ebrahim, former whistle men Enock Molefe and Jerome Damon will be the lead instructors.
The PSL had been on a recess since early last month to accommodate the Africa Cup of Nations tournament, which will conclude tonight when Senegal face hosts Morocco in the final at 10:00pm. The league will re-open with a clash between Mamelodi Sundowns and Orbit College FC at Loftus Stadium tomorrow night.
The referees will do Yo-Yo and Ariet tests. The Yo-Yo test is a fitness examination for sports like soccer and basketball that measures aerobic fitness. The Ariet test is an Assistant Referee Intermittent Endurance Test.
Referees were under the spotlight in the first half of the season, with a number of them committing errors that left many unanswered questions in PSL matches. In some instances, they were so below par that soccer fans called for the implementation of VAR in local games.
Minister of Sports, Arts and Culture Gayton McKenzie said that VAR funds had been secured, but there has not been any movement on that front yet.
“The most important thing is the programme where they (referees) will be able to correct their shortfalls of the first round of the season and also identify areas where they need assistance. It’s like the half-time discussion of a match where you reflect and make corrections,” said a retired referee close to the tests.
