Zifa refused to reveal the identity of the referees for fear that they could be targeted by match-fixing syndicates but according to reports from South Africa, Hlungwane will be assisted by Sandile Dilikane and Leon Mnqibisa.
Hlungwane will be in the field of play 24 hours after handling another semi-final in his home land which pitted Platinum Stars and Santos in the Telkom Cup in Cape Town.
The other semi-final between Motor Action and Zimbabwe Saints will be officiated by Zambian officials.
Zifa chief executive officer Jonathan Mashingaidze said the referees will be in the country today.
- Chamisa under fire over US$120K donation
- Mavhunga puts DeMbare into Chibuku quarterfinals
- Pension funds bet on Cabora Bassa oilfields
- Councils defy govt fire tender directive
Keep Reading
“There is a confidentiality clause to the identity of the match officials. With the match-fixing allegations currently going on in the country, we feel the referees will be targeted.
“We believe that local games are being fixed and that is why we cannot reveal the referees’ names.
“The referees from Zambia will handle the match between Motor Action and Zimbabwe Saints while the ones coming from South Africa will handle the match between Dynamos and FC Platinum.
Mbada Diamonds Cup is the richest tournament so far in which all the 16 teams participated.
Dynamos stormed into the semi-finals of the cup after beating city rivals Shooting Stars 3-0 at Maglas two weeks ago. The Platinum miners were given a good run for their semi-final place by Gunners, who they finally beat 6-5 through a penalty shoot-out in Hwange after the two teams had settled for a 1-all draw.
Dynamos assistant coach Tonderai Ndiraya said they had made all the necessary preparations for the semi-final match.
Asked whether they were not under pressure as they chase a double, the Mbada Diamonds Cup and the league title, Ndiraya said: “We are professionals, we have learnt how to deal with these situations. We are not under pressure at all.”
Ndiraya said the bringing of foreign referees for the semi final was a slap in the face for the local referees.
“This is a slap in the face for local referees; they must run around and put their house in order. It means a lot to their profession, that is why most of our referees fail to make it into international scenes.”
DeMbare will be without midfield duo of Milton Makopa and Tawanda Muparati. Muparati is said to be attending his father’s burial while Makopa picked up an injury at training. Captain George Magariro is another doubtful starter.
FC Platinum team manager Phillip Muvengwa said they have left no stone unturned in preparing for the match.
“We are very happy to welcome back some of our players who missed last week’s encounter. The other thing which makes this encounter more interesting is that the match will be handled by foreign officials. For a long time we used to think that referees are human beings they can make mistakes whether in our favour or against us, but we have since discovered that the issue has gone too far,” Muvengwa said.
The Platinum miners will once again miss the services of their skipper Zephaniah Ngodzo who picked up a red card when they played Gunners in Hwange, so he is not eligible to play. Ngodzo also missed their league match against Shabanie after accumulating three yellow cards. Also missing in their set up for this afternoon is Mthulisi Maphosa pending his trial.
