Top South African referee Victor Gomes and his team will once again be called into action on Thursday night in a high-profile 2022 Fifa World Cup match between Japan and Spain.
It will be a second time that Gomes and his team officiate at a World Cup match since the tournament started in Qatar, Middle East over a week ago.
Gomes’ team is made up of Alexandra-born Zakhele Siwela and Souro Phatsoane (assistant referee), as well as fourth official Salima Mukansanga from Congo. They did an impressive job in their first match and received praise from Abdul Ebrahim, the SA Football Association head of referees.
The Spain and Japan clash is very crucial because both teams need to win in order to consolidate their positions at the top of Group E. Spain are topping the group on four points while the Japanese are sitting second with three points – so Gomes and his team will have to be on their toes throughout the 90 minutes.
Last Wednesday, they were in charge of a match between France and Australia, and did a fantastic job. They did not even need to consult with VAR.
They also handled the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations final between Senegal and Egypt in Cameroon in February.
Ebrahim was elated with the team’s World Cup match performance.
“The first game went extremely well and we hope and pray that they will get more matches and the final,” said Ebrahim.
“I am certain that they have guaranteed themselves more matches because of a good showing that they displayed. It is Africa’s time and our referees are stepping up. They do not need to stand back for anyone and they deserve big matches like everyone else.”
He added that the country will benefit from the good job done by the match officials.
“When they are back, they will come back to the PSL [Premier Soccer League] and will impart knowledge to upcoming referees. As a country, we will be fools not to tap into that fountain of knowledge.
“They will assist in enhancing the growth of our referees, who are still dreaming about refereeing at a World Cup tournament.”
This is Siwela’s second World Cup tournament and a debut for Gomes, who has still not confirmed whether he will retire at the end of the tournament.
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