The former referees commission boss was elected BFA vice-president (technical) at the weekend. Current referees commission chairman, Harris Lebotse hailed Mphele's ascendance to the position as a step in the right direction. Lebotse said this is the first time a referee has been elected to the BFA executive. He believes that Mphele will represent referees well. "We know that he will not be dealing with matters concerning refereeing only, but we hope he will represent us fairly as he understands our problems," Lebotse said. He added that most referees have quit because of low incentives and they now face a shortage of personnel. He said though they are volunteers, time has come for them to be rewarded for their efforts. He explained that even though they recruit new officials, most of them leave shortly after training. He said referees resent physical and verbal abuse by supporters. He asserted that in most cases, ignorant supporters abuse referees for no reason. Though he admitted that referees like any other normal person make mistakes, he said this does not justify violence and abuse directed at them. He said incidences of violence have decreased in recent times though there is more that still needs to be done to deal with the problem. He said they continue to educate officials on the application of the law of the game to improve their skills.
Meanwhile, Mphele said his presence at BFA will benefit the football fraternity as a whole. "I have been voted to represent every stakeholder in the game and I do not think referees are an exception," he said. He added that referees should not expect any favours from him just because he was once a referee. "I will work very hard for the growth of the game as I promised during my campaign and I thank everybody who voted for me for showing confidence in me," he said. The former referees commission chairperson retired from officiating in 1997 after 19 years of service.
