21 June 2018 – Sasol Women’s League referee, Seapei Maleho is not bothered by the hostility of some fans in the matches she officiates in as one of the few female referees in the league.
Maleho, who recently cut short her footballing career to pursue her passion of being a match official has gradually established herself as one of the best referees from her town. The 24-year-old was on the books of Sasol League side Royal Wizards until her coach planted the idea of her being a referee, something she believes was the best thing her coach did for her.
The young and fearless whistle blower was in charge of a number of key matches in the recently concluded Northern Cape U17 Solar Youth Cup which was organised by the South African Football Association (SAFA), LaLiga and Northern Cape Department of Sports, Arts and Culture where she did a remarkable job and was even applauded by the thousands of fans that were in attendance.
“This was a really great tournament, more especially for us young referees because it provided us with the opportunity to improve our talent in a competition where the stakes were really high. It’s not easy being a female referee but one thing I believe in is being fair and doing your work with passion. People will notice and respect that about you and I think I did quite well in the tournament” said Maleho.
Affectionately known as “Run X” from her playing days as a speedy winger, Maleho says she hopes to officiate at senior women’s national team competitions one day but first wants to help improve the standard as Sasol League level.
“My dream is to officiate at a Women’s AFCON as well as the World Cup. It obviously won’t come easy because you need to be on you’re A-game when officiating at that level but it is something I am dreaming about and aiming to achieve. However, it is equally important that I contribute at home first through the Sasol League and then move to even greater heights” concluded Maleho