Nkole and Super Diana called up for COSAFA Cup duty
Zambian top referee Audrick Nkole will be among the 12 center referees that will officiate at the upcoming 20th edition of the COSAFA Cup.
Nkhole is the only Zambian center referee on the list but he will have company in form of the female trailblazer assistant referee, Diana ‘Super Diana’ Chikotesha who is among three females who will be at this year’s tournament.
This will be the first time female match officials will officiate at the men’s senior regional tournament but they all have done so at the men’s junior level.
Chikotesha who is at the top of her trade in the MTN/FAZ Super League also received praise from Felix Tangawarima, the COSAFA Referees Manager who feels she has done well in the past.
“In 2019 we had assistant referee Diana Chikotesha, who officiated at the CAF Under-23 Cup of Nations that served as the qualifiers for the Olympics. She also did very well,” he said.
“All of these match officials have shown themselves to be extremely capable. In fact, we probably had a 50-50 split of male and female match officials in the Under-17 and Under-20 zonal qualifiers last year and in many instances, I thought our female referees outshine their male counterparts.”
The 2021 COSAFA tournament will be played in Nelson Mandela Bay from July 6-18.
FULL LIST OF REFEREES
Abongile Tom (South Africa) Akhona Makalima (South Africa) Antonio Dungula (Angola) Artur Adriano Vaz Joao Alfinar (Mozambique) Athoumani Mohamed (Comoros) Audrick Nkole (Zambia) Brighton Chimene (Zimbabwe) Eldrick Adelaide (Seychelles) Andofetra Rakotojaona (Madagascar) Keabetswe Dintwa (Botswana) Osiase Koto (Lesotho) Sabelo Sibandze (Eswatini)
FULL LIST OF ASSISTANT REFEREES
Brighton Nyika (Zimbabwe) Diana Chikotesha (Zambia) Elphas Sitole (South Africa)
Ivanildo Meirelles de Sanches Lopes (Angola) Lucky Kegakologetswe (Botswana) Paulina Joel (Namibia) Petros Mzikayifani Mbingo (Eswatini) Singeve Sem (Namibia) Siza Dlangamandla (Lesotho) Venestancio Cossa (Mozambique) Joseph Nyauti (Malawi)