The South African Football Association’s (SAFA) Chief Medical Officer, Thulani Ngwenya, has been appointed as the official Doping Officer for this year’s Soccer World Cup in Qatar.
Ngwenya is a member of the South African Sports Medicine Association (SASMA) and a member of the CAF and FIFA Medical Association and is one of the most respected experts within the sports medicine field.
SAFA CEO Tebogo Motlanthe heaped praise on Ngwenya in a statement, saying: “I am proud of the growth of Dr Ngwenya in this field and as the association we are very proud of his contribution during Covid, and during Confederation of African Football games.
“We have no doubt that he will represent the country with distinctions [in Qatar],” said Motlanthe, who is in Miami where he is attending the second edition of the FIFA Law diploma.
SA referee Victor Gomes will also be going to the 2022 World Cup
While Bafana Bafana did not qualify for this year’s World Cup, besides Thulani Ngwenya and a couple of lucky supporters who got tickets, it was confirmed on Thursday that top South African referee Victor Gomes will represent Mzansi at the tournament along with assistant referee Zakhele Siwela.
The 2022 World Cup will take place from 21 November to 18 December.