Egypt’s Gehad Grisha has been appointed to referee the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations opener between hosts Gabon and Guinea-Bissau 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 2017 Africa Cup of Nations will be Grisha’s fourth AFCON tournament in a row, after officiating at the last three editions of the tournament.
