11 May 2018– Two South African match officials are in Cairo, Egypt to attend the New FIFA Referees’ Course, which runs from 11-15 May.

Assistant referees Athenkosi Ndongeni and Merwyn John van Wyk left for North Africa on Thursday, 10 May.

The new training program was started by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) and is aimed at referees who joined the FIFA panel in 2018. It has been divided into two parts – training for the French-speaking group, which came to an end on Wednesday, 9 May 2018. This will be followed by one for the English-speaking group, which gets underway tomorrrow.

The program also includes women, which is a direct reflection of CAF President’s commitment to promote women’s football on the continent.

Ndongeni and Van Wyk will be part of 17 referees, 18 assistant referees and nine women referees attending the course.

“During this training, the instructors will conduct a general analysis of the role of the refereeing body officials as well as the development of the practical refereeing.On this occasion, the instructors will explain the concept of the referee video assistance (VAR), which was tested for the first time during the Total Super Cup match of Wydad Athletic Club of Casablanca and the Tout Puissant Mazembe,” said CAF in a statement.

The match officials are also expected to undergo physical, theoretical and technical tests during the course.

26-year-old Ndongeni participated in the U17 COSAFA CUP that was held in Mauritius in 2017.

He has also worked in numerous international matches where he assisted the likes of Victor Gomes and Johannes Moshidi.

Van Wyk, who is 30, has also been doing well as an assistant referee. He was one of the nominees for the award of the Assistant Referee in the 2016/2017 season. Van Wyk also has also officiated in some international matches.

Also flying South Africa’s flag high during the course, will be CAF Technical Instructor, Jerome Damone, who is a former referee.