The SA Football Association (Safa) has confirmed the appointment of Abdul Basit Ebrahim as the new head of referees.

Ebrahim, who is a former Fifa referee and Fifa/CAF-trained instructor, replaces Tenda Masikhwa, who took a voluntary retrenchment package last week.

Ebrahim has already hit the ground running and is busy ensuring that match officials are tested for Covid-19 and ready for the resumption of National Soccer League matches scheduled for August 1.

“First, I would like to thank everyone, especially Safa for providing me with this challenging but exciting opportunity to head the referee’s department,” Ebrahim said in a statement released by Safa.

“South Africa has been at the forefront of producing the best match officials on the continent and I would like the country to continue being pacesetters in this area. I want to assure everyone that I will do my best in this position.

Ebrahim added that he has inherited solid structures and would continue to consolidate the good base created so far by overseeing the continuous development of future generations f match officials.

“I would like to thank and acknowledge the sterling work that has been done by Tenda Masikhwa over the years in this department. He leaves behind an ideal platform on which to work from.

“It has already been a busy few days as we have brought in the first group of referees and we have taken them through the health and safety regulations as well as doing physical exercises in preparation for the resumption and completion of the 2019/20 season.”