The Super Eagles of Nigeria will square up against the Desert Foxes of Algeria in the second semi finals of the 2019 African Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Egypt.
The much-anticipated encounter promises fireworks as both teams seek a chance to progress to the final for a chance to win the highly-coveted AFCON trophy.
The Herald presents five quick facts about the referee for the game that is scheduled to kick off at 8pm Nigerian time.
1. He is 40-year-old Bakary Papa Gassama from The Gambia and is regarded as one of Africa’s best referees.
2. He got his FIFA referee’s badge in 2007.
3. Gassama was a referee at the 2012 Olympic tournament, 2012 and 2013 AFCON tournaments and 2014 World Cup finals.
4. Gassama has handled several games involving Nigeria’s Super Eagles, one of the recent ones being the AFCON qualifiers away to South Africa in Johannesburg. In that game, Nigeria was denied two well-taken goals but the 1-1 scoreline at the end of that match was enough to seal the Eagles’ qualification for AFCON 2019 even with a game to spare.
5. He was among the few Africans selected for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.
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