FIFA has unveiled the list of referees for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, featuring 25 referee trios and eight support referee pairs from 43 countries. Three African officials made the cut: Ivorian Noumandiez Doue, Gambian Papa Gassama, and Algerian Djamel Haimoudi. Doue will be joined by compatriot Songuifolo Yeo and Burundian Jean Claude Birumushahu, while Gassama’s trio includes Cameroonian Evarist Menkouande and Rwandan Félicien Kabanda. Haimoudi’s team comprises fellow Algerian Abdelhak Etchiali and Moroccan Redouane Achik. No French referees were selected for the World Cup, marking a historic absence in the tournament’s 40-year history.
2014 WORLD CUP: 5 AFRICAN REFEREES IN BRAZIL, NO FRENCH!
