A local referee, Jelly Alfred Chabani, made his mark at recent the national U/19 tournament in Bloemfontein. He was nominated the best referee of the tournament.
Chabani (18) officiated in six matches, including the final. Supersport United beat Ajax Cape Town 4-1 in the final. The diminutive referee was presented with a trophy and gold medal after the tournament in honor of his achievement.
The Grade 12 pupil at Shunguwa High School became a referee in 2011. At that stage, he was officiating at matches in the Makhado LFA. It was hard work and dedication that made it possible for him to gain promotion to officiate in the SAB League in the very same year. 2012 saw him gain promotion to officiate in the then Vodacom Promotional League or Safa second division.
When asked as to which game was the most difficult one in his refereeing career, Chabani smiled before saying that no game was difficult for him to handle. He singled out the recent final match of the national U/19 tournament between Ajax Cape Town and Superpsort United in Bloemfontein as the game where he enjoyed officiating the most. When asked about the allegations that referees solicit bribes from club officials, Chabani said that he was aware of the allegations. He reiterated the fact that he has not and will never ask for a bribe from a club official.
He revealed that he has declined many offers from club officials who wanted him to fix the results of their matches. "I don't want to ruin my refereeing career by taking bribes," he said. He indicated that his aim was to see himself officiating in international matches in three years' time.