‘Theliz no’

ON THURSDAY evening, when FIFA announced names of referees, assistant referees and video assistant referees (VAR) officials for the 2026 World Cup set for Canada, Mexico and the United States of America (USA), I got interested in the list.
I quickly went through the list but I did not see what I wanted.
My interest was to bump into names of Zambian officials selected for the global showpiece that will run from June 11 to July 19.
It is sad that match officials were not selected.
The Chipolopolo failed to qualify from a group which had leaders Morocco (24 points), Niger (15), Tanzania (10) and Congo-Brazzaville (one).
Zambia finished fourth with nine points.
A total of 52 referees, among them six women, 88 assistant referees and 30 VAR match officials from across all six confederations and 50 member associations, were selected for the global showpiece.
The selection process is based on quality and consistency of performances at the highest level.
The selection of Somalian referee Omar Artan caught my attention,
Artan, 34, has been consistent in the recent past and deserves to be World Cup-bound.
Somali President Hassan Mohamud congratulated Artan, who has made history as the first Somali to be selected to officiate at the World Cup finals.
“I commend the effort, professionalism and integrity shown by referee Omar, as he has become a symbol of inspiration for the new generation of Somalis,” said Mohamud in a statement on Saturday.
Time is ripe for Zambian referees to hit the ground running by embracing hard work.
We should collectively feel ashamed of ourselves that no Zambian referee has been selected for the World Cup.
If a Somali can attract the attention of the FIFA referees committee led by Italian Pierluigi Collina, why should Zambian referees fail?
It is a fact that the Zambian football brand cannot be compared to that of Somalia.
The Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) referees department has a lot of work to do to groom referees who will match the standards of Janny Sikazwe.Sikazwe officiated at the 2018 Russia and 2022 Qatar World Cups and at several tournaments.
He was on the centre when Spanish side Real Madrid beat Kashima Antlers of Japan 4-2 in the Club World Cup final in Yokohama on December 18, 2016.Sikazwe set the bar high and those who are still active should strive to follow in his footsteps.
They should take time from their busy schedules to get tips from Sikazwe on how he managed to officiate at two World Cup tournaments.
Equally, allegation raised by former FAZ referees committee chairperson Gladys Lengwe about match officials engaging in corruption should not be swept under the carpet.
Lengwe’s claims should be probed because they have potential to spoil Zambia’s name on the international scene.
All the best to Zambian football and find me on phiristeve4@gmail.com, sphiri@daily-mail.
co.zm.