By Steve Vickers BBC Sport Online in Harare

Tirivanhu and Annah Zharo are a remarkable pair.

They are both Class One referees - the only husband and wife refereeing team in Zimbabwe, and perhaps on the whole continent.

They often officiate first division matches together, usually with Annah as the referee and Tirivanhu as her assistant.

In Zimbabwean culture the husband has the final say in domestic matters, but Tirivanhu says he is happy to let his wife lead the way on the pitch.

"I don't mind that, if you have a woman boss at work you have to follow her instructions - when we're at the stadium we forget that we're husband and wife."

Family

Annah was Zimbabwe's first woman referee, and she led Tirivanhu to take up refereeing after his career as a football player ended.

She is now on the Fifa panel and hopes to officiate at the Women's World Cup next year.

The Zharos have two children, Alfred and Ernest, but time will tell whether they will follow the family trend.

"We'd first like them to be players, and then it will be up to them to decide whether they want to be referees," said Annah.

Blow my whistle

While Tirivanhu and Annah have been married traditionally for 11 years, they recently had a white wedding, and there was no way that refereeing could be left out of the celebrations.

"A cousin came to the reception with a whistle, and she was blowing it like the two of us do at matches," said Tirivanhu.

While the Zharos may be an unusual couple, Annah feels that they are making a contribution in the area of sexual equality.

"What we're involved in is encouraging many Zimbabwean men to let their wives get involved in areas that have been reserved for men."