Vhembe referee kicks off global Qatar duty

LIMPOPO – Vhembe’s own Jelly Chavani, who was named the Premier Soccer League’s best referee of the year for the 2019/20 season, arrived in Qatar on October 28, where he will serve as one of four African referees officiating at the upcoming international tournament on November 3-27.

Chavani will be among a panel of 27 referees and 54 assistant referees from around the world and will represent South Africa as the country’s sole match official at the event.

The tournament marks the first time referees will make use of Football Video Support (FVS), a technology successfully trialled last year at the women’s u/20 world cup in Colombia and the women’s u/17 world cup in the Dominican Republic.

The FVS system has already been confirmed for future tournaments, including the u/20 world cup in Chile, the u/17 Women’s world cup in Morocco, and the u/17 tournament in Qatar.

Before arriving in Qatar, Chavani officiated at the Chan tournament across Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, gaining valuable experience in top-level African competitions.

His refereeing career began in 2013 at local football association level. After showing great promise, he was promoted to the professional ranks midway through the 2015/16 season, where he initially officiated in National First Division (NFD) matches before moving up to PSL fixtures.

Reflecting on his journey, Chavani said: “I hope this will inspire young people from my community to work hard and know that it is possible for every child to achieve their dreams, as long as they remain disciplined. It was an honour for me to represent Africa and South Africa, it came unexpectedly.”

He added that his long-term goal is to officiate at major international tournaments, a dream that now seems well within reach. Chavani encouraged young people to take education seriously and to set realistic, achievable goals that will help them navigate future challenges successfully.