Caf explain Gomes’ Afcon final snub

Caf’s chairman of Referees’s Commission, Souleyman Waberi has shed light on the reasons behind the apparent snub of South African referee Victor Gomes after he had initially been announced as the man who will officiate the Afcon final between Senegal and Algeria on Friday night.

“The Caf Referees Commission did not make any appointment of the referee for today’s final until after the third place match,” Waberi is quoted as saying by journalist Osasu Obayiuwana. “I was very shocked, like anyone else, to see the announcement of Victor Gomes on Caf’s social media handles,” he added.

“The moment I saw it, I went to see Anthony Baffoe and asked him who gave the communications department the right to make such an announcement? He was also surprised about it. We then had to order that those announcements be taken off all Caf’s social media,” explained Waberi.

Waberi said the outcry over the matter was warranted. “This type of mistake should never happen. But the announcement of Gomes never came from the Caf Referees Commission. We must improve our communication as an organisation. What happened is not acceptable and people have the right to criticise us for this.”

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