Confederation of African Football has revealed that Dahane Beida from Mauritania has been appointed as the referee for the upcoming final of the 2023 TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations.
The highly anticipated final will be played at the Alassane Ouattara Stadium in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire, on February 11, 2024.
Super Eagles of Nigeria will battle the host, the Elephants of Cote d’Ivoire in Abidjan on Sunday by 9pm.
A statement on Saturday on the CAF Online website disclosed this.
It read, “Dahane Beida, aged 32, will be the on-pitch referee for this crucial match, marking his third appearance at this year’s TotalEnergies CAF AFCON.
“Previously, he officiated the match between Egypt and Mozambique, which ended in a 2-2 draw during the group stage, as well as the Round of 16 clash where Angola secured a 3-0 victory over Namibia.
“Assisting Dahane Beida will be Emiliano Dos Santos from Angola and Diana Chicotesha from Zambia, Morocco’s Bouchra Karboubi will serve as the fourth official.
“The Video Assistant Referee (VAR) role will be taken up by Mahmoud Ashour from Egypt, with Rivet Maria Pakuita from Mauritius as the Assistant VAR.”
Beida’s extensive refereeing experience includes officiating matches in various prestigious competitions such as the U17 World Cup in New Zealand last year, as well as the second leg of the final of the TotalEnergies CAF Confederation Cup 2022/23 between USM Alger and Young Africans in Algiers.
The AFCON final referee has also officiated in the TotalEnergies CAF Champions League, CAF TotalEnergies Confederation Cup, and the African Football League.
Additionally, he played a significant role in last year’s African Nations Championship held in Algeria.
Nigeria vs Cote d’Ivoire
Both Nigeria and Cote d’Ivoire are vying for glory, with Nigeria aiming to secure their fourth title and Cote d’Ivoire eyeing their third championship victory.
Earlier in the group stage, both teams had played in the Group A Match Day 2 where Nigeria beat Cote d’Ivoire.
William Troost-Ekong’s second-half penalty gave Nigeria a 1-0 win over Ivory Coast turning up the heat on the host country whose hopes of reaching the last 16 remain in the balance.
Captain Troost-Ekong converted from the spot 10 minutes into the second half at the Ebimpe Olympic Stadium in Abidjan, after a foul on Victor Osimhen was picked up following a VAR check.
Credit: punchng.com
