Waweru leads Kenyan referees at delayed 2023 Afcon
Fifa referee Peter Waweru gestures during an international friendly match between Kenya's Harambee Stars and Uganda Cranes at Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani on September 8, 2019.
What you need to know:
- The 34th edition of the continental showpiece will be held in five cities in the West African nation namely; Abidjan, San-Pedro, Yamoussoukro, Bouake and Korhogo
- Gilbert Cheruiyot and Stephen Yiembe have been selected as assistant referees while there is no Kenyan in the VAR referees’ list
Three Kenyans are among the 68 match officials selected by the Confederation of African Football (Caf) to officiate at the delayed 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) finals in Cote d’Ivoire from January 13 to February 11 next year.
The 34th edition of the continental showpiece will be held in five cities in the West African nation namely; Abidjan, San-Pedro, Yamoussoukro, Bouake and Korhogo.
Twenty-four nations will feature in the competition.
The match officials comprise of 26 center referees, 30 assistant referees and 12 Video Assistant Referees (VAR).
Experienced Fifa referee Peter Waweru, 41, is the only Kenyan center referee who has made the cut.
Waweru, who is a holder of Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Pure Mathematics and a senior lecturer at the Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) has a wealth of experience, having officiated in several Fifa tournaments.
On July 1, 2019, Waweru he became the first Kenyan to officiate at Afcon when he took charge of the match between Cote d’Ivoire and Namibia at 30 June Stadium in Egypt.
He also officiated in the 2019 Under-17 World Cup in Brazil, 2021 Afcon in Cameroon and the final of the 2021 African Nations Championship (Chan) in Cameroon among other major tournaments.
Gilbert Cheruiyot and Stephen Yiembe have been selected as assistant referees while there is no Kenyan in the VAR referees’ list.
Like Waweru, Cheruiyot has been an assistant referee at several top tournaments including; 2016 Chan in Rwanda, the 2019 Afcon in Egypt, Tokyo 2020 Olympics and 2023 Caf Champions League final in Casablanca.
Yiembe, on the other hand, officiated in the Afcon Under-23 final between Morocco and Egypt on July 8 at Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat. Morocco won the match 2-1.
Caf said last Friday that all the selected referees are expected in Cote d’Ivoire on January 5 for a “refresher course which will be inclusive of physical and theoretical testing of all officials.”
