Guinea FA Calls Out Kenyan Official in Tanzania’s AFCON ‘Cheating’ Case

 

The Guinea Football Federation has listed every misdoing they believe happened during their game against Tanzania on November 19. Guinea travelled to Dar es Salaam to play Taifa Stars in a do-or-die match in the race to qualify for next year's Africa Cup of Nations. 

Tanzania captain Mbwana Samatta in action against Guinea on November 19, 2024. Credit, @Taifa Stars. Source: Twitter Why Tanzania could be disqualified from AFCON Syli National lost the game 1-0 and failed to qualify for AFCON 2025. 

However, the West African side has faulted Tanzania for fielding an illegal player.  In their appeal to CAF, Guinea argues that Tanzania brought on a player whose jersey number wasn't on the official team sheets. 

According to their submission, this is a clear contravention of the rules, and they want CAF to award them the game instead. At the centre of this controversy is Kenyan official Francis Oliele, who was the CAF match commissioner for that game. Guinea have termed Oliele's behaviour 'inexplicable' as he did not allow them to file complaints at the end of the game.

 "He went so far as to ask Guinean officials to go to CAF instead and not to him," reads a part of Guinea's appeal. The Michel Dussuyer-coached side is also concerned about why the commissioner and security officer were chosen from Kenya, a country, which is in the same Zonal Union as Tanzania. 

Roles of match commissioner in CAF games Amid this unfolding drama, let's take a look at some of the facts and roles of a match commissioner as captured in AFCON's regulations Article 23. 

1. He is CAF's official representative and must be present at the match. In case of any last-minute emergency, he must send an official apology to CAF and the host nation. The host nation is responsible for his transport. 

2. In case there is a guest(s) of honour, the match commissioner accompanies them and presents them to the players and referees. 

3. The match commissioner convenes a meeting between the officials of both teams and the referees on the eve of the match day to explain the rules of the competition. If he is not present, the centre referee takes charge of this meeting. 

4. He can decide the game is not played until it meets its conditions for the security of the referees and the visiting team. 

5. If he receives a complaint before the game, he can try and resolve it within the existing structures. If he fails, he will note it in his match report.

 6. He will observe everything in the game, including the referee's performances, fair play, the behaviour of the teams and any other necessary things. He will then submit a report to CAF's Secretary General no more than 48 hours after the game. 

by  Martin Moses