Representatives of SAFAs referees department, Professor L. Gadinabokao and Mr. Mubarak Mohammed, were present at the meeting.

Agreement was reached on the implementation of a new system of service supplied by SAFA to the PSL. This involves new reporting structures and improved channels of communication in respect of findings reached by the SAFA referees technical and review committees.

It was agreed to take forward a plan to develop an infrastructure designed to manage and control a special panel of officials for the professional game.

A proposal put forward by the Leagues CEO Trevor Phillips, to establish a panel of well trained match commissioners, backed with regulatory powers and authority, was passed by the Executive Committee.

Phillips said that this was a highly constructive and positive meeting and I think we have opened the door for a way forward to solving what has, for too long, been a major problem for us.

The development of the match commissioners is absolutely vital and a great step forward for the game. Their duties will not be limited to observing the performance of the match officials but also the actions of the teams. It is high time we took action to stamp out some of the unprofessional acts that some of the clubs get up to.

With accurate reports that I can trust from qualified match commissioners, I will be able to take action against clubs who do not comply with the regulations. Im talking about basic things like providing team sheets for the media in good time, allowing the visiting team access to the pitch pre-match, providing the basic courtesies that a visiting team has the right to expect.

This will be a costly exercise for the PSL, but in my view it is a cost that has to be met if we are to be viewed as a truly professional league.