The Premier Soccer League will be meeting Zifa to find ways of resolving the referees' crisis after receiving an unprecedented number of complaints regarding match officials.
The meeting is aimed at ensuring fair play and protecting the integrity of the game as cases and complaints involving referees are increasing by the day.
Premier Soccer League spokesperson Kudzai Bare said she believes with open collaboration between the PSL, Zifa, and the clubs, the concerns can be addressed and the quality of match officiating in Zimbabwe can be improved.
"As part of our commitment to ensuring fair play and protecting the integrity of the game, we will be meeting Zifa to discuss these matters and explore ways to improve the overall officiating standards," said Bare.
Zimbabwe Referees Committee chairman Norman Matemera could not be reached to shed light on what exactly his committee is doing to resolve the scourge that has become the hush-hush talk of the Zimbabwe's football family
Word has been flying around that referees are being paid or bribed to swing matches in favour of certain clubs although there is another school of thought that feels that the refereeing standards have just terribly gone down.
"We recommend that Zifa considers implementing a transparent recruitment, training, and performance review system for match officials as well as a clear code of conduct to enhance accountability and professionalism in match officiating," advised Bare.
The Premier Soccer League is not responsible for the appointment of match officials with that job belonging to the Zimbabwe Referees Committee.
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The PSL only receives complaints regarding match officials from their 18 clubs and for that matter in writing which they then forward to Zifa for review and action.
"Sadly, some clubs have not been following this process by formally lodging their complaints which makes it difficult for us to address these issues effectively. We encourage all clubs to follow the appropriate channels to voice their concern," said Bare.
Bare, however, revealed that this season they have eceived a high number of complaints from their clubs regarding match officials which they submitted.
The Zifa Northern Region has also been flooded with complaints regarding match officiating although most of them have bordered on suspicions of match fixing.
