Zamalek v ES Port: Burkina Faso officials appointed for CAF Champions League tie

Zamalek will face ES Port of Djibouti in the first preliminary round of the CAF Champions League under a refereeing team from Burkina Faso, with Hamidou Diero appointed as the match referee.

The first leg is scheduled to take place on 4 September, as Zamalek begin their return to the CAF Champions League after an absence from the competition. The Egyptian club announced the full officiating team for their meeting with the Djiboutian side.

Diero will be assisted by fellow Burkina Faso officials Lamine Dovine and Daouda Traore. Jean Ouattara has been appointed as the fourth official.

The fixture will be Diero’s first assignment involving an Egyptian club during his refereeing career. It will also be his first match in the CAF Champions League.

Zamalek have reached an agreement with ES Port for both matches in the tie to be played in Cairo. That arrangement means the Egyptian side will host the first leg on 4 September before staging the return fixture at the same venue.

The Champions League campaign represents another opportunity for Zamalek to compete for continental honours after their involvement in the CAF Confederation Cup last season. The club reached the final of that competition but missed out on the trophy after losing the deciding match in a penalty shoot-out.

Their return to the continent’s leading club competition now begins against ES Port, with the Burkina Faso officials confirmed to oversee the opening meeting. Diero will take charge of the contest from the centre, supported by Dovine and Traore on the touchlines, while Ouattara completes the matchday officiating team.

Zamalek’s agreement to hold both legs in Cairo removes the need for the Egyptian club to travel to Djibouti for the second match. The two sides will therefore meet twice in the Egyptian capital as they compete for progress from the first preliminary round.

The appointment gives Diero two notable milestones in the same match. He has not previously refereed a game involving any Egyptian team, and the Zamalek-ES Port encounter will be his first appearance as a referee in the CAF Champions League.

Zamalek will be hoping their return to the competition leads to a longer continental run after their penalty-shoot-out defeat in last season’s CAF Confederation Cup final. ES Port, meanwhile, will provide the opposition in the opening round, with the first meeting set for 4 September and both legs due to be played in Cairo.