Local soccer and PSL referee Jelly Chavani left for Qatar last week to officiate in matches during the FIFA U/17 World Cup, which takes place from 3 to 27 November.
Chavani, whose full name is Alfred "Jelly" Chavani, is one of four African referees selected to officiate in the finals. He will be the sole representative from South Africa among the match officials, which features 27 referees and 54 assistant referees.
This is the 20th edition of the FIFA U-17 World Cup and the first to be played in the 48-team format instead of the previous biennial 24-team tournaments. Qatar will host the tournament for five consecutive years, from 2025 to 2029.
Chavani, who turned 30 in January, started wielding the whistle at local-football-association level in 2013. He was promoted to officiate at professional level in the middle of the 2015/16 soccer season. He only got to officiate a few National First Division matches that season. After excelling in the NFD games that he officiated that season, Chavani was given the nod to officiate during PSL matches as well.
Chavani will use Football Video Support (FVS) for the first time, a technology that allows coaches to request reviews for clear and obvious errors related to goals, penalty decisions, direct red cards or cases of mistaken identity.
"I hope this will inspire young people from this community to work hard and know that it is possible for every child to achieve their dreams, as long as they remain disciplined," Chavani said. "It was an honour for me to represent Africa and South Africa, as it came unexpectedly." He indicated that his aim was to see himself officiating during international matches.