Top Alex ref gives Betway course thumbs up

Alex’s own top Fifa World Cup, Caf and Safa referee, Zakhele Siwela, expressed his satisfaction with the recently concluded #BetwayCares Referees Course.

The course was conducted by Betway South Africa in partnership with Midrand Local Football Association.

The five-day workshop was targeted at upskilling aspiring female referees as part of Betway’s nationwide rollout of community sport development, which continues to lay a solid foundation for the development of sport across South African communities.

While this was the brand’s first involvement in a course involving refereeing, Betway’s innovative approach of empowering female referees in particular caught the attention of Siwela, who made a stop at Rabie Ridge Stadium where the course was held to share his experience of the game with the next generation of match officials.

Siwela, who was the only South African match official at the 2018 Fifa World Cup in Russia, said, “What has happened at Rabie Ridge Stadium over the last few days is truly remarkable as few brands make the effort of upskilling referees, and what they [Betway] don’t realise is that this, especially at community level, will significantly improve the standard of football.”

At the conclusion of yet another community sport upliftment programme, Betway SA marketing manager, David Rachidi said the brand was encouraged by the interest and enthusiasm showed by the referees, adding that the brand would remain committed to playing a leading role in community sport development.

“We take pride in leading such initiatives that continue to aid the development of sport in our communities. For the longest time, the area of refereeing has been left on the sidelines when it comes to focused development,” Rachidi said.

He said the #BetwayCares nationwide community sport upliftment programme continued to positively impact and aid the development of sport, with Betway proudly leading the way through similar programmes and donations of sporting equipment.