The Egyptian Football Association formally submitted a complaint to the Confederation of African Football against the appointment of Bakary Gassama to officiate the Egypt-Cameroon semi-final, today Thursday. However, media reports quoted an official in the Confederation of African Football that Gassama will not be changed based on the Egyptian protest, stressing at the same time that the Gambian will officiate the semi-final calmly and with great professionalism that will eliminate the fears of the Egyptian fans.
However, a member of the board of directors of the Egyptian Football Association, Mohamed Abul-Wafa, said in statements to “Sky News Arabia” that he did not expect CAF to change Gassama.
Abu Al-Wafa added that the Egyptian Federation submitted its complaint in order to record their position and to state their opposition against the ruling.
For his part, the director of communications at the Gambia Football Federation Baboucar Camara, is reported to have told Egyptian media that he did not know the reason for the suspicion and accusations against Gassama.
Camara described Gassama as one of the best referees in the world at the present time, stressing that he officiated decisive matches in major tournaments and is known for his good reputation.
“We assure everyone that he will present a level worthy of the match,” he added.
The decision of the Confederation of African Football to assign the task of refereeing the match between Egypt and Cameroon to Gassama today caused a wave of controversy, as the Egyptians feared his bias against their team, accusing him of previous bias against Egyptian clubs.
