Africa Cup of Nations – Tom Abongile selected as referee for Egypt vs. DR Congo round of 16 clash

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) refereeing committee has appointed South African Tom Abongile to officiate the Egypt vs. DR Congo match in the Round of 16 of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.

The Egyptian national team is preparing to face the DR Congo in the knockout stage, and Tom Abongile, the South African referee, will lead the officiating team.

The assistant referees include Suro Fatswane from Lesotho, Angolan Lopez Evineldo Oliveira as the second assistant, and Ahmed Hiralal from Mauritius as the fourth official.

Ghana’s Daniel Laryea will be in charge of the Video Assistant Referee (VAR), assisted by the Senegalese Issa C and Zambian Diana Chikotesha.

 Who is Abongile?

The 32-year-old referee has already overseen two matches in the Africa Cup of Nations, both concluding with draws.

The first was between Nigeria and Equatorial Guinea, and the second was between Algeria and Burkina Faso.

Abongile also officiated the Confederation match this season between Zamalek and Swaziland’s Sua, which ended with a 4-0 victory for the White Knights.

In total, Abongile has officiated 15 matches in the current season, issuing 81 yellow cards and 2 red cards, and awarding 4 penalties.

He previously refereed a match for Egypt’s Olympic team in the Under-23 Africa Cup of Nations semi-final, which ended in Egypt’s 1-0 victory over Guinea.

 Details of Egypt vs. DR Congo Encounter

The match is scheduled to kick off at 10:00 PM today, Sunday, at the Laurent Boko Stadium.

Egypt, having secured the second spot in their group, will host DR Congo in San Pedro after a series of drawn matches against Mozambique, Ghana, and Cape Verde in the group stage, all ending in a 2-2 draw.