Africa may be on the brink of making refereeing history at the FIFA World Cup, with two African trios still in contention to officiate the final matches of the 2014 tournament in Brazil.
With FIFA’s Referees’ Committee narrowing down its list to the officials available for the semifinals, the third-place match, and the final, two African referee teams have made the cut thanks to their strong performances throughout the competition.
The African trios still in contention:
Ivorian Noumandiez Doué (center referee)
Assistants: Yeo Sogonsolo (Ivory Coast) and Jean Claude Birumushahu (Burundi)
Djamel Haimoudi (Algeria, center referee)
Assistants: Redouane Achik (Morocco) and Abdelhak Etchiali (Algeria)
Their continued presence signals FIFA’s confidence in their capabilities and opens the possibility that an African referee could officiate the World Cup final — something that has never happened before.
If selected, it would be a historic moment for African officiating and a major recognition of the continent’s growing influence and quality in international football refereeing.
