South African referee Abongile Tom and top assistant Zakhele Siwela have been named on the short list of match officials for next year’s Africa Cup of Nations finals in the Ivory Coast.
This comes even though Tom, who officiated at the U-20 World Cup finals in Argentina in May and June, has been suspended from refereeing local matches since the start of the season after mistakes in the DStv Premiership match between Kaizer Chiefs and Mamelodi Sundowns on August 9.
Tom is one of 32 officials on the shortlist of referees and Siwela on the shortlist list of 33 assistant referees.
The 31-year-old Tom, a policeman from Nyanga, has refereed previously at the African Nations Championship (Chan) in Algeria and the U-23 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco but if he was to make the final list it would be his first Cup of Nations.
Siwela, who turned 41 earlier this month, has been to the last six Africa Cup of Nations finals and the last two World Cup finals, and is arguably the most successful African referee.
All the candidate officials for the Cup of Nations will attend a preparatory in course before the final selection is made b y the Confederation of Afrivcan Football.