Egypt’s Gehad Grisha has been appointed to referee the 2017  opener between hosts  and on January 14.

The Africa Cup of Nations is set to kick off with Gabon’s match against Guinea-Bissau, which will be played on Saturday, January 14 at 16:00 GMT on Stade de l’Amitié in Libreville.

The 40-year-old, who was nominated for CAF Best Referee of the Year Award, will be assisted by Moroccan referee Redouane Achik, and Sudanese referee Ali Waleed Ahmed.

Grisha became a FIFA referee in 2008, serving as a referee at the 2016 Olympics football tournament, 2014 and 2018 World Cup qualifiers, and at the 2013 and 2015 Africa Cup of Nations.

Hosts Gabon and Guinea-Bissau, who qualified to their first ever AFCON, were drawn in group A that joins them with Burkina Faso and Cameroon.

It’s worth mentioning that the will be Grisha’s fourth AFCON tournament in a row, after officiating at the last three editions of the tournament.