Prominent Lesotho referee Souru Phatšoane is set for yet another football milestone after he was recently appointed to officiate at the upcoming Tokyo Olympic Games to be staged in Japan from July 21 to August 8.
sports
April 24, 2021
STAFF REPORTER
2 min read
Phatšoane gets Olympics assignment
Top Lesotho referee Souru Phatšoane (extreme right)
Phatšoane has already inked his name in the Lesotho football history books when he became the first Mosotho referee to officiate at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations and the Under-17 World Cup held in Egypt and Brazil respectively.
He will become the first referee from Lesotho to officiate at the Olympics football tournament.
President of the Lesotho Football Association (LeFA) King’s Counsel Salemane Phafane has lauded Phatšoane on yet another major achievement in his refereeing career.
“This is a massive achievement not only for football, or Phatšoane as an individual, but for the whole country. It shows that there is something we are doing right in football to have had a referee breaking all these records officiating in big competitions in the continent and globally in the last few years,” KC Phafane said.
LeFA Deputy Secretary General Chris Bullock shared similar sentiments about the top referee.
“I am absolutely delighted for Phatšoane. A fantastic achievement and a result of a lot of hard work. A brilliant motivation to all our referees and potential referees in the country when they see what can be achieved with hard work and dedication and I cannot wait to see others follow in Phatšoane's footsteps in the future,” he also noted.
Legendary football goalkeeper Tšepo Mathetha was also happy for Phatšoane on the appointment.
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Kick4Life FC first assistant coach Molefi Katane said the youth referee deserves the break he is getting owing to his hard work.
“Congratulations are in order, we are watching him closely,” he said.
The Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games will feature a record of 33 competitions and 339 events held across 42 venues with the opening ceremony set for July 23 at the Olympic Stadium.
The men’s Olympic football tournament will be held from July 22 to August 7, 2021 across six Japanese cities while the women’s Olympic football tournament will run from July 21 to August 6 across seven venues.
Each squad is made up of youth teams with each participating country allowed to supplement its team with three overage players.
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