Match Officials for AFCON 2013

According to various sources, Africa's football governing body CAF (Confederation of African Football) has nominated 39 match officials to take charge of the pending Africa Cup of Nations 2013 to be held in South Africa from the 19th January to the 10th February.

The officials are:

Referees (18)

Néant Alioum - Cameroon - 17/07/1982

Daniel Bennett - South Africa - 22/08/1976
Mohamed Benouza - Algeria - 26/09/1972
Bernard Camille - Seychelles - 06/10/1975

Koman Coulibaly - Mali - 04/07/1970

Badara Diatta - Senegal - 02/08/1969

Noumandiez Doue - Côte d'Ivoire - 29/09/1970

Bouchaib El Ahrach - Morocco - 05/09/1972

Bakary Papa Gassama - Gambia - 10/02/1979

Ghead Grisha - Egypt - 29/02/1976

Djamel Haimoudi - Algeria - 10/12/1970

Nampiandraza Hamada - Madagascar - 08/07/1984

Slim Jedidi - Tunisia - 17/04/1970
Sylvester Kirwa - Kenya - 13/12/1972
Ali Lemghaifry - Mauritania - 01/01/1975
Eric Otogo-Castane - Gabon - 13/04/1976
Rajindraparsad Seechurn - Mauritius - 03/06/1970
Janny Sikazwe - Zambia - 26/05/1979

Assistant Referees (21)
Redouane Achik - Morocco - 21/04/1972
Waleed Ahmed Ali - Sudan - 1974
Jean-Claude Birumushahu - Burundi - 13/02/1972
Djibril Camara - Senegal - 20/08/1983
Balla Diarra - Mali - 1974
Jerson Emiliano Dos Santos - Angola - 1983
Peter Edibe - Nigeria - 05/01/1970
Abdelhak Etchiali - Algeria - 27/06/1981
Bechir Hassani - Tunisia - 22/09/1969
Anouar Hmila - Tunisia - 1974
Felicien Kabanda - Rwanda - 19/07/1971
Arsénio Marengula - Mozambique - 1986
Aden Marwa Range - Kenya - 31/01/1977
Evarist Menkouandé - Cameroon - 14/11/1974
Yanoussa Moussa - Cameroon - 13/03/1973
Angessom Ogbamariam - Eritrea - 13/09/1971
Malik Alido Salifu - Ghana - 05/04/1973
El Hadji Malick Samba - Senegal - 1979
Zakhele Thusi Siwela - South Africa - 02/09/1982
Théophile Vinga - Gabon - 1975
Songuifolo Yeo - Côte d'Ivoire - 01/01/1970

The officials will be based in a hotel in Johannesburg, that will be also the venue of the opener match and the final match. The competition will be held from the 19th January to the 10th February 2013. After having arrived in South Africa approximately on the 14th January, the selected referees (and assistant referees) will have to undergo courses on 16th and 17th January including a yo-yo test session.

It is not certain whether these twelve referees will be the only ones appointed for the final tournament. This piece of information comes from Mohammed Abdul Fattah of Egypt.

This blog will accompany the competition by issueing inofficial referee observer reports for preferably every match. If you want to support us as an observer, please use one of the left placed contact opportunities.