Africa-Press – Zimbabwe. TRAGEDY struck a Zimbabwe Football Association (Zifa) referees training seminar in Harare yesterday after a five-month-old infant, who was at the Zifa Village with her mother, a seminar participant, passed away.
The incident occurred during the ongoing Fifa MA referees course, which began on Monday.
In a statement, Zifa confirmed the infant’s death, though no official details had been released regarding the exact circumstances by the time of going to print.
Sources close to the matter indicated that the baby died in her sleep.
Zifa’s statement expressed deep regret over the “sudden and unexpected loss” and confirmed that the mother had attended the seminar with her two children.
The association stated that despite immediate efforts to assist, the child did not survive.
“The matter has been referred to the Zimbabwe Republic Police, who are now handling the case in accordance with the law,” said Zifa, which has pledged its full co-operation with the authorities and is providing support to the bereaved mother.
“As an association, we extend our deepest condolences to the bereaved family and respectfully ask that their privacy be observed,” the Zifa statement added.
The five-day seminar, which is set to conclude tomorrow, is a crucial training programme for local elite referees.
Led by Fifa instructor Felix Tangawarima and Fifa physical instructor Nasreddine Cherifi of Algeria, the course aims to equip local referees with the skills needed to perform at a high level on the global stage.
Zifa vice-president Loveness Mukura presided over the opening of the seminar.
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