The long sprint to the top
Mqondisi Dube | Saturday February 5, 2022 06:00
“Referee from hell,” “Botswana referee expelled from COSAFA Cup,” “Senegal unhappy with Botswana,” were some of the unpalatable headlines which Bondo woke up to not too long ago.
It has been a journey fraught with its own challenges, but Bondo has remained resolute. He could have crumbled like a deck of cards around 2017 when the world appeared to curve in on him. Bondo took the flight of shame back home after the COSAFA referees committee sent him packing for contentious decisions in the game between Zimbabwe and Madagascar.
It was difficult to see how Bondo would recover from this as subsequently, COSAFA snubbed him for the 2018 edition.
Before the walk of shame, Bondo’s star was on the rise as he had, six months earlier, made his Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) debut.
His expulsion from the COSAFA Cup gave birth to other misfortunes as the Senete native was at the centre of another controversial moment in September 2018 during a World Cup qualifier between Senegal and Madagascar.
In fact, it was the second time Senegal questioned Bondo’s capabilities after their World Cup qualifier against Burkina Faso.
Not much was going Bondo’s way despite the Botswana official getting his first recognition at AFCON in January 2017.
He managed to ride the tide and was rewarded with CAF and World Cup assignments. He blew his whistle well for a man who was not long ago, facing a barrage of criticism over his officiating. The man, popularly known as ‘Sprinter’ was part of the duty roster when the list of the 2019 AFCON referees was read out.
He made a good impression although the centre appointments at the finals were far and wide. Since 2019, the 43-year-old has steered clear of ‘negative’ headlines as he continued an upward career trajectory.
His performances were rewarded with another return to the continent’s biggest football tournament; the 2021 AFCON finals currently underway in Cameroon. The tournament was supposed to be held last year but dates were shifted due to COVID-19. It is at the latest edition that has Bondo’s bulging stock skyrocketing.
CAF’s Referees Committee has not hesitated to hand him the whistle in crucial matches, the highlight being the Tunisia versus Burkina Faso quarter-final tie. Prior, Bondo had not handled a match beyond the group stages. He was the fourth match official in the bronze medal match between Tunisia and Nigeria, but in terms of handling a match from the centre, this year’s feat remains unmatched.
What has seen Bondo’s impeccable performances stand out is the shambolic manner in which some of his colleagues have fumbled with the whistle. The lead singer in a chaotic orchestra has been Zambia’s Janny Sikazwe, who is infamous for his five minutes of madness in a group stage match involving Tunisia and Mali.
Other referees have also fallen under the radar where the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) has reigned supreme, becoming the ultimate instructor.
But in the match between Tunisia and Burkina Faso, Bondo, a man gifted with an assortment of eye-catching movements on the pitch, put on a defiant, virtuoso performance. He defied the miniature but intimidating VAR monitor, where most referees have been like lambs to the slaughter, who exalt the technological invention.
But Bondo will go down in history as one of the few who went toe-to-toe with VAR.
A few minutes before full-time and with the game delicately poised at 1-0 in favour of Burkina Faso, the match official refused to let VAR have its usual way.
Tunisia thought they had won a penalty after the assistant referee urged Bondo to have a second look at the incident of a Burkina Faso player clipping his opponent inside the box. Bondo duly consulted the screen, but stood by his initial decision, a move that earned him plaudits. He was advised to take a look again for a potential red card offence after Burkina Faso scorer, Dango Outtara had elbowed his Tunisian opponent. He applied logic and overturned his decision to send Outtara for an early shower. Again he was spot on. Bondo’s assured performances went a long way towards restoring the tournament’s battered officiating image.
Amid a heap of mediocrity, Bondo has grabbed the opportunity with both hands to enhance his soaring reputation.