A first batch of referees from the South African Football Association’s national panel began their preparations for the new season in Johannesburg on Monday, going through physical testing and attending workshops to get them ready for next month’s kick-off.
The panel of 88 officials is made up of 39 referees and 49 linesmen, and they must pass the testing to take charge of matches in the new Premier Soccer League campaign.
They are being divided into two groups, with the first batch starting on Monday and the second next week.
“It’s easier to handle them in smaller groups than have them all in one place at once,” explained Abdul Basit Ebrahim, Safa’s Head of Referees.
The match officials will undergo physical tests at the Germiston Stadium, which will be overseen by visiting Fifa instructors who will also conduct workshops and video analysis.
Match officials must pass the tests or lose their place on the panel, with little chance for a reprieve.
“There are not as many who fail as there used to be in the past because we keep a sharp eye on their physical training throughout the season,” Ebrahim said.
All match officials have Polar watches and must download their training details so that Safa can keep a constant eye on whether they are keeping up their fitness.
The amendments to the Laws of the Game for the new season will be top of the agenda for the officials to familiarise themselves with.
The national panel officiate Betway Premiership and Motsepe Foundation Championship fixtures, as well as matches in the DStv Diski Challenge.
There is an additional Youth Development Group, who also do matches in the DDC, which has been successfully providing referees to the national panel over the last few years.
“They go through the same level of training as the national group,” Ebrahim added, “both technically and physically. From their assignments in the DDC, we can see who is ready for the national panel and can be promoted up.”