The Rwanda Football Federation (FERWAFA)’s Refereeing Commission has suspended center referee Kwizera Olivier for five weeks and assistant referee Mbonigena Seraphin for four weeks due to mistakes they made while officiating a recent match.
Kwizera and Mbonigena officiated the Matchday 5 Rwanda Premier League game between Bugesera FC and AS Muhanga, played on Saturday, October 25, 2025, in which Bugesera lost 1–0.
Referee Kwizera Olivier, who was in charge of the game, was suspended for five weeks after failing to award a direct free kick in the 20th minute when the AS Muhanga goalkeeper handled the ball outside the penalty area. According to the commission, this was a case of denying an obvious goal-scoring opportunity (DOGSO), which should have resulted in a direct free kick and a red card.
Another mistake occurred in added time (45+1 minute) when the ball hit the referee, but he failed to stop play, allowing AS Muhanga to continue and score a goal. This was Kwizera’s first time officiating a top-tier league match.
Assistant referee Mbonigena Seraphin received a four-week suspension for failing to assist the center referee in identifying the goalkeeper’s handball incident, which falls within his duties.
These suspensions add to a list of other recently sanctioned referees, including Ishimwe Claude and Mugabo Eric, both international referees.
FERWAFA reaffirmed its commitment to upholding integrity, improving referees’ capacity, and enforcing refereeing standards in line with international regulations.
