The Football Association of Malawi (FAM) Referees Standing Committee has approved names of 132 referees to officiate in the 2025 elite competitions.
The approvals were made on Sunday during the committee’s first meeting of 2025 held at Sunbird Livingstonia in Salima.
The list consists of 16 FIFA referees and 116 local elite referees. FAM Referees Manager Duncan Lengani outlined the criteria used to make the appointments, emphasising professionalism as a critical component.
“Of course, we used so many criteria in order to come up with this list. Some of them are professionalism, integrity, and also the technical knowhow of the rules of the game, in addition to the experience one has,” Lengani said.
On the committee’s succession plan, Lengani added, “We have also incorporated young talent on the elite list.”
Regarding referee monitoring, he stated, “We have drafted a code of conduct, which each and every referee is going to sign before the kickoff, so that whatever is in the code of conduct must be abided by. If they fail, they will face the chop.We are also planning to have a media review to assess their performance so that we can have credible officiating this year.”
Speaking about expectations, Lengani said, “One of the paramount links is for them to showcase their talent and also professionalism, integrity, and fairness.”
The 2024 list features 115 male and 117 female referees, marking an increase from the 120 referees appointed in 2024 and 103 in 2023.
