Victor Gomes, South Africa’s most passionate and energetic referee, will once again fly the country’s flag in the skies of Qatar when France play against Australia on Tuesday night. The Group D match kicks off at 9pm.
Assisting Gomes will be his trusted linesman Zakhele Siwela and Lesotho’s Souru Phatsoane. The trio have been burning the trail in African football – they officiated in the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) in Cameroon and were also called up to officiate in the finals of the CAF Champions League between Wydad Casablanca and Al Ahly in Morocco.
The know what is at stake, and if they put up a good showing, they will be in line to be rewarded with more high-profile matches. A poor performance can result in them taking charge of lesser important matches in the tournament.
In the Afcon finals, Gomes made headlines and trending when at one stage during the match, he called Liverpool superstar Mo Salah into order and sarcastically offered him the whistle and to referee the match after his relentless moaning and whining.
That moment and picture circulated around the world and turned Gomes into a well-respected whistleman.
Sadly, there are no players from the Premier Soccer League called up by their countries to play at the biggest sporting tournament in the world.
However, there are other South Africans representing Mzansi in the World Cup, including Dr Thulani Ngwenya, who is serving as a medical officer in the tournament. The Mpumalanga-born medical doctor is SA Football Association’s chief medical officer.
Gomes has hinted at retirement after the World Cup, but he is cagey and has chosen to keep his cards close to his chest.
Siwela has come a long way since the day he officiated at Maimane Phiri Games in Alexandra, where he was born and bred. Siwela is no stranger or novice to the World Cup, having taken part in the 2018 Fifa World Cup in Russia.
Gomes and Siwela’s biggest dream is to be chosen to officiate in the final on December 18, and that would be a massive achievement for the duo. More than 6-billion people in the world are expected to watch the final.
Other matches taking place on Tuesday are Argentina v Saudi Arabia at 12pm; Denmark v Tunisia at 3pm; Mexico v Poland at 6pm.
For the latest sports news from Sunday World, click here.
Follow @SundayWorldZA on Twitter and @sundayworldza on Instagram, or like our Facebook Page, Sunday World, by clicking here for the latest breaking news in South Africa. To Subscribe to Sunday World, click here
