South African referees have come under fire in the PSL in recent times, with their dwindling participation on the international stage a cause for concern.
The biggest honour among referees is to officiate at the FIFA World Cup and in the previous edition in Qatar, South Africa had only two representatives, in former referee Victor Gomes, who is considered one of the best to come out of the country and assistant Zakhele Siwela.
However, following Gomes' retirement, there were concerns that there are not enough quality referees coming through the ranks in the PSL to hoist the South African flag internationally.
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It is a big concern for the state of refereeing in the country, that South Africa had only one on-field match official at the Africa Cup of Nations in January this year, referee Abongile Tom, as not even one assistant referee made the cut in a list of 30 assistants.
Tom was only accompanied by Akhona Makalima, who was selected as one of the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) officials.
Mamelodi Sundowns head coach Rulani Mokwena believes lack of South African referees on the international stage is a reflection of the poor standards in the PSL, after a controversially awarded goal of Moroka Swallows striker Gabadinho Mhango, which was initially ruled out for offside but later given after referee Jelly Chavani seemingly made consultations.
"Just as much as we want to be represented by players internationally and all of that, World Cup who has gone? And for how many years have we had Zakhele always representing us? We had Tom," Mokwena remarked, speaking to the press after a 2-2 draw against Swallows.
"Who is coming after (Tom)? (CAF) Champions League games, who is doing the games in South Africa? Friendly games, even a friendly here of Mauritania, there's not even a South African referee? That should reflect the state of the situation.
"It's an easy solution, 'Ah, let's get VAR' but VAR is also run by an official, a human being. What stops the same human being, I need to know who Jelly was talking to, what stops that person from saying 'No, a goal?' You see, it's a person who is reviewing from behind and he still needs to make a call," he said.
There was a big threat that the country could have no on-field official at the next FIFA World Cup but the extension of the tournament to 48 teams at the 2026 edition could offer a lifeline, as Tom was reportedly selected among 13 referees in Africa for the first phase of preparations earlier this year.
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