The Egyptian Football Association has officially said they do not want Gambian referee Bakary Gassama, to officiate their semi-final against Cameroon on Thursday, 3 February.
The Egyptians indicated that the 42-year-old is not fit for a match of that magnitude.
It is worth noting that Gassama handled the 2015 AFCON final between Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire, and has once officiated at an Olympic tournament in 2012, as well as the 2014 World Cup among several other international competitions.
He happened to be the match official of Egypt’s first game in the current AFCON against Nigeria, who beat the Pharaohs 1-0.
The Gambian is to officiate the second semi-final of the ongoing TotalEnergies AFCON, which will feature Cameroon who eliminated his home country in the quarter-finals.
Thursday’s fixture between the two African football giants at the Olembe Stadium, promises to be an exciting one. Egypt hope to correct the errors they made against Cameroon in the 2017 AFCON final in Gabon, where the Indomitable Lions clinched their fifth title.