Bondo omitted from World Cup list

Mqondisi Dube | Wednesday November 22, 2017 17:48

 

Cruelly, top referee, Joshua Bondo, who has handled almost all the qualifiers, failed to make the cut.

However, it will not be only Botswana that will sing the blues in the region, but all COSAFA members except Zambia, failed to provide an official for the World Cup.

Zambia’s Janny Sikazwe makes the cut, and is the only official from southern Africa in a six-man list chosen from Africa. The others are Mehdi Charef from Algeria, Malang Diedhiou from Senegal, Gambia’s Bakary Gassama, Ghead Grisha from Egypt and Ethiopia’s Weyesa Bamlak.

Eyes were on the country’s top referee, Bondo, who has been Botswana’s flag bearer at international competitions.

He has travelled the length and breath of the continent handling FIFA World Cup qualifiers, and a historic appointment would not have come as a surprise.

Bondo made his - and the country’s only - debut at the Africa Cup of Nations in January, becoming the first local referee at the biennial continental tournament.

Oamogetse Godisamang was the first local assistant referee to receive a call-up to the AFCON finals in 2015.

BFA executive committee member responsible for referees, Eatametse Olopeng said it was disappointing that no local referee had been picked for next year’s showpiece. He had expected Bondo’s name to be on the list.

“It is disappointing, but we have to keep working hard in order to develop more referees. We had expected that someone like Bondo would make the cut, looking at the fact that he handled all the qualifiers. It’s unfortunate, but we have to accept as we are not the ones responsible for selection.”