Kwimbira redeems female refs’ pride
Bernadetter Kwimbira has made it as the only Malawian female referee on Africa’s offficiating personnel for the Fifa World Cup Women Under-20 qualifiers kicking off this weekend.
Kwimbira, who is based in Zomba, will be the first assistant referee when South Africa host Botswana on Saturday.
She will be on a set comprising second assistant referee Mercy Zulu and main referee Sarah Selemani both from Zambia.
Kwimbira earned the selection after passing Fifa Fitness Test held recently at the Sports Complex of the College of Medicine. Only Kwimbira and Chikondi Phinda, out of six local female referees, passed the test.
“I am obviously happy that despite struggled during the fitness test, the selectors still recognised my individual performance,” said Kwimbira in a telephone interview yesterday.
FAM referees development officer Maxwell Mtonga confirmed that results of the fitness test had a bearing on Kwimbira’s selection.
“For these match appointments, first you need to have middle referees, whom we do not have. Then, you have two assistant referees and a fourth official. Bernadetter [Kwimbira] is in CAF Elite A category; hence, she can be appointed in her own right,” Mtonga explained.
All things being equal, the officiating set is supposed to come from the same country.
