Nkhakananga, Tembooff to 2024 Cosafa Cup

Fifa referee Godfrey Nkhakananga and assistant referee Pondamali Tembo have been appointed to officiate at the 2024 Cosafa Cup in Port Elizabeth, South Africa.

Football Association of Malawi (FAM) competitions and communications director Gomezgani Zakazaka confirmed in an interview that the two elite referees will be in South Africa for the tournament which will run from June 26 to July 7.

He said: “They have left for South Africa today where they will be part of the referees officiating at the 2024 Cosafa Cup matches.”

National Football Referees Association general secretary Chris Kalichero said in an interview that the appointment shows that the regional football governing body has confidence in Malawian referees.

Nkhakananga, a teacher at Chipoka Secondary School in Salima, was also recently assigned the 2026 Fifa World Cup qualifier between Sierra Leone and Djibouti.

He alongside compatriot assistant referees Clemence Kanduku and Lucky Kegakologetswe from Botswana, officiated the Group A match on June 5 in Casablanca , Morocco where the Lone Star played their home match.

But back home, Nkhakananga is infamous for his controversial decision last year to award Silver Strikers a goal against Mighty Mukuru Wanderers in Airtel Top 8 quarter-finals at Bingu National Stadium after initially blowing the whistle for a foul from their opponents.

The decision resulted in the abandonment of the match and subsequent violence that led to destruction of some property at the facility. The referee served a four-month ban for his inconsistency.