The referees are viewed as 'enemies' of progress in the eyes of the fans and club officials with concerns hitting a peak in the previous season. The 2024-2025 football season has had its own share, especially in the past few weeks leaving a club official facing charges. Gaborone United (GU) president, Nicholas Zakhem, faces four counts of misconduct concerning his behaviour after the FNB Premiership encounter between his team and BDF XI recently. The head coaches also have not spared the referees from the sharp tongue as allegations of bias surface. Just over the weekend, TAFIC's head coach, Elias Chinyemba, became the latest official to question the officiating. He is, however, of the view that match officials make honest mistakes and there is a need for extensive training. Despite recent complaints, the BFL has given the referees' performance a thumbs-up with 19 rounds of the league campaign played.
Mamelodi told MmegiSport this week that the BFL has received significantly lower complaints on the referees' performances this season as he said there has been a level of consistency from the whistle men and women. "Yes, there have been a few complaints, which we have referred to the National Referees Manager at the BFA (Botswana Football Association), who is the competent authority. Remember, the referees fall under the BFA and not the BFL. We are just consumers of their services. Complaints have been few and far between. Generally, there has been a considerable level of consistency in officiating by the referees, which we are grateful for. Like I said, there have been a few complaints and those were considered on their merits. Where necessary action has been taken to our satisfaction," Mamelodi said.
He, however, acknowledged that there is still room for improvement and the National Referees Commission is working tirelessly to arrest issues of non-performance through their sub-structures. He sent a stern warning to club officials as he said referees do not officiate based on statutes but the statutes guide administrative actions to be taken based on outcomes from the matches. "They (referees) officiate on the basis of the FIFA Laws of the Game, which are unambiguous. They are empowered by Law 5 to take appropriate action on all matters that occur during any given match day. You will have noticed the increased action taken against coaches and officials this season because the referees are applying the laws without fear or favour," Mamelodi said. He added that the BFL strives to ensure that every match event is secure and conducive to football fans, referees, players and officials.
He said the BFL is fast reaching a point where the results of matches are non-contested. The BFL chief also said there are cases of attempted match fixing and the BFL would be ready to bring to book those found on the wrong side of the law. "We are aware of and extremely vigilant against some cantankerous elements who attempt to manipulate and influence the outcome of matches. Unfortunately, those still exist. We shall aggressively pursue them until we get them, and rid our football of their kind," Mamelodi said.
