Three Senegalese referees have been appointed to take charge of the opening match of the FIFA Club World Cup 2017 in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
The three – Malang Diedhiou, Djibril Camara and Malick Samba – will officiate the first game of the tournament, between Al Jazira (UAE) and Auckland City of New Zealand.
The game, a play-off for the quarter finals, will be played at the Hazza bin Zayed Stadium on Wednesday December 6, and the winner will go on to face Urawa Red Diamonds on December 9.
The Confederations of African Football praised the appointments of the Senegalese referees for the game, saying it was a good sign for African match officials.
“The appointment of the trio for the opening match is a good sign for African referees and the game in general. I’m hopeful that they will showcase the rising status of refereeing on the continent to the rest of the world,” CAF Refereeing Manager Eddy Maillet said.
Diedhiou and his compatriots officiated the second leg final of the Total Confederation Cup 2017 between Supersport United (South Africa) and TP Mazembe (DR Congo) on 25 November 2017 in Pretoria. The match ended barren with Mazembe winning the title 2-1 on aggregate.
