Egypt object to referee picked for Afcon semis

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CAIRO, Feb 2, (AP): Egypt have filed a complaint with the African soccer confederation against the appointment of a Gambian referee for the Pharaohs’ game against Cameroon in the African Cup of Nations semifinals on Thursday. The Egyptian Football Association did not give reasons for their complaint against Bakary Gassama, one of Africa’s best-known referees. He refereed the Pharaohs’ 1-0 loss to Nigeria in the group stage. The 42-year-old Gassama is known to Egyptian fans for having refereed the Pharaohs’ 2-1 victory over Congo in October 2017, which qualified Egypt for the 2018 World Cup in Russia. It was the first time in nearly three decades that they qualified for the tournament. Egypt, which have won the African Cup a record seven times, filed their complaint late Tuesday.

Representatives of the Egyptian Football Association and the Confederation of African Football were not immediately available to comment. The Pharaohs advanced to the semifinals by beating Morocco 2-1 thanks to a goal and an assist from its star Mohamed Salah. Host nation Cameroon progressed with a 2-0 win over Gambia. Gassama has also refereed many games for Egypt’s giants, Al Ahly and Zamalek, in the African Champions League tournaments, with some of them sparking controversy in the soccer-mad nation. Thursday’s game will feature the two most successful teams in African Cup history with 12 titles between them. It will be repeat of the 2017 final, when Cameroon won their fifth cup, and the 11th encounter between the two heavyweights in the tournament’s history, according to the CAF. Egypt rely heavily on Liverpool star Salah, who is still looking for a first major title with his country since their last the African Cup championship in 2010. Cameroon hope striker Vincent Aboubakar, the tournament’s leading scorer so far with six goals, can lead the hosts to the Feb. 6 final.

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