South African Referees Earn Big Despite Being Barely Used at 2026 FIFA World Cup

• Abongile Tom and Zakhele Siwela's World Cup journey took an unexpected turn as the tournament entered its decisive stages
• The South African officials' assignments at the global showpiece have put the nature of their involvement in focus
• A FIFA decision has now drawn attention to how Abongile Tom and Zakhele Siwela's tournament unfolded

South African match officials Abongile Tom and Zakhele Siwela are heading home from the 2026 FIFA World Cup after a lucrative but limited tournament. Despite potentially earning huge sums from their selection, the pair were used in supporting roles across just five matches.

The Mirror reported on 11 June that selected World Cup referees could earn up to US$100,000 (about R1.63 million) before bonuses.

The publication stated:

"A set fee will be paid to each lead match official simply for being selected and taking part in the tournament."

The exact amount earned by Tom and Siwela individually has not been disclosed.

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Abongile Tom and Zakhele Siwela barely used

Tom served as fourth official while Siwela worked as reserve assistant referee in just five matches.

Their assignments included Cape Verde against Saudi Arabia, Portugal versus Uzbekistan, Portugal against Colombia and Germany versus Curaçao. They later worked Portugal's Last 32 clash with Croatia.

Neither received a Round of 16 appointment.

FIFA ends South African officials' World Cup run

On 10 July, KickOff confirmed that FIFA had released 25 officials after the Round of 16. The publication stated:

"After the Round of 16, FIFA has released 25 officials from all six confederations, and that list has the names of Tom and Siwela."

The South African pair were among three officials from the Confederation of African Football (CAF) released. Moroccan video official Hamza El-Fariq was also cut from the remaining roster.

For Tom and Siwela, the decision closes a World Cup campaign that brought financial rewards but limited opportunities in their primary officiating roles. Their five assignments still placed them at the heart of football's biggest tournament, even if their involvement unfolded largely away from the whistle and the assistant referee's flag.

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Attention now shifts back to domestic football. Tom and Siwela are expected to turn their focus to the new South African season. The season gets underway on 1 August, bringing the curtain down on an unusual World Cup journey for the country's two match officials.

SAFA responds to Hugo Broos exit claims after World Cup

Briefly News also reported that Hugo Broos' Bafana Bafana future took another twist after SAFA responded to reports about the coach following South Africa's historic World Cup campaign.

The association's position appeared to clash with comments attributed to the Belgian in his home country, leaving fresh questions over what happens next.

Source: Briefly News