FIFA has approved all the 15 Malawian referees whose names were submitted for the 2023 International Referees Panel.

There is no new face among the six centre referees as FIFA has retained the same group from 2022 while Pondamali Tembo is the only  new name on the list of  nine Assistant referees after replacing Innocent Kaundula.

For first time Malawi will have two  referees on the FIFA Beach Soccer Referees List following the acceptance of Mathews Ngwira and Rose Zimba.

FAM Referees Development Officer Fredrick Kholopa said:

“We are pleased that FIFA has finally approved all the 15 names that we submitted for the 2023 International Referees panel which includes five women and 10 men.

“We are also happy that finally FIFA has also given us two slots for Beach Soccer referees which will be vital for the growth of the sport in the country,” he said.

Kholopa has since urged elite referees in the country to keep on working hard and compete for places on the FIFA list.

Below is the full list:

Center Referees

1.       Godfrey Nkhakananga

2.       Gift Chicco

3.       Mercy Kayira

4.      Easter Zimba

5.       Eness Gumbo

6.       Newton Nyirenda

Assistant referees

7.       Bernadettar Kwimbira

8.       Clemence Kanduku

9.       Eliza Sichinga

10.     Pondamali Tembo

11.     Happiness Mbandambanda

12.     Edward Kambatuwa

13.     Joseph Nyauti

14.     Jonizio Luwizi

15.     Evance Msonda

Beach Soccer Referee

Mathews Ngwira

Rose Zimba