Referees bagging sports endorsement deals is not a regular occurrence, but South Africa's Akhona Makalima is an exception as she boasts the same deal as Orlando Pirates playmaker Thabang Monare. Here's a look.
The story
Makalima, who refers to herself as She Ref continues to fly the South African flag high as she represented the country at the 2022 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup in Costa Rica, as well as the 2022 Women's Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON), where Banyana Banyana claimed their maiden continental title in Morocco in July.
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While her achievements as a match official are endless having won countless awards already, her work has also been recognised by Italian sports equipment manufacturer, Lotto Sport. The international brand also has Monare and Marumo Gallants attacker Thabo Mnyamane on their books, while ex-Buccaneers winger Thabo Rakhale was also understood to be in the label's roster at some point before his apparent fall from grace.
Scroll through the gallery below to see Makalima flaunting her endorsement deal
More recently, the decorated referee was in Cairo, Egypt to complete a course on Video Assistant Refereeing - a part of the game that is yet to be introduced in the South African topflight.
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Did you know?
Lotto was launched in 1973, where they first released tennis footwear. In the 1980s, the sportswear maker expanded into football and Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti and Dutch legend Ruud Gullit were one of the label's first football clients, according to the outfitter's official website.
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