Referee Masixole Bambiso, who has been on the FIFA panel for the last three years and is a two-time winner of the Premier Soccer League’s Referee of the Season award, failed his pre-season fitness test and faces a lengthy way back if he is to resurrect his once promising career.
Bambiso, who turned 30 earlier this month, pulled up at the pre-season fitness tests for match officials last month and is now in a race against time to redo the examination and be able to keep his FIFA badge next year.
He has six weeks to retest from the time he failed and would have to go outside the country to find another football association who are conducting their refereeing fitness tests and pass there. His travel to that country would be at his own expense.
Bambiso’s failure was a major surprise to the refereeing fraternity. The only other senior official to fail was linesman Patrick Jadta, officials have confirmed.
Bambiso was only 21 when he officiated his first top flight game in January 2018 and was regarded as one of the country’s top whistlemen, serving on the FIFA panel along with Luxolo Badi, Alfred Chavani, Sikhumbuso Gasa, Eugene Mdluli and Abongile Tom.
Bambiso, from Thembalethu in George, was the Referee of the Season winner for both the 2022/23 and 2024/25 seasons.
He was put in charge of successive cup finals in the 24/25 season when he officiated Magesi’s surprise win over Mamelodi Sundowns in the Carling Knockout decider in Bloemfontein in late 2024 and then the 2025 Nedbank Cup final between Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates, that Chiefs won.