Sikazwe, who is a school teacher at Kapiri Mposhi Elementary School in the north of the Zambian capital Lusaka, is the only Southern African referee who is heading for the 2018 FIFA World Cup finals in Russia in June this year. On Saturday night, Sikazwe and two of his Southern African compatriots – Zhakele Siwela of South Africa and Jefferson Emiliano dos Santos of Angola – plunged into unchartered territory for African match officials when they became the first crew from the continent to use the VAR system. The trio was in the Moroccan capital, Casablanca, for the CAF Super Cup showdown between Wydad Casablanca and TP Mazembe, which the hosts won 1-0. “We are targeting the total transformation of African football and we won’t spare any effort to achieve that goal,” said CAF president Ahmad Ahmad. “I thank God for the opportunity to become the first African referee to lead a Club World Cup final.

Source: The North Africa Journal March 02, 2018 07:52 UTC