Carlos Kambaekwa
Windhoek-Retired football referee and former president of the Namibia Football Association (NFA), John Muinjo, has been given the nod by the world’s football governing body FIFA to keep an eagle eye over proceedings in the penultimate 2018 FIFA World Cup Qualifier between hosts South Africa and Burkina Faso at the FNB Stadium, Johannesburg, on Saturday.
The likeable Namibian has been appointed match commissioner for the match-day five penultimate clash encounter and leaves for South Africa on Friday.
Muinjo will supervise the six-men delegation of Cameroonian match referees with Alioum Alioum (central referee), Evarist Menkouande and Elvis Noupue (assistant referees) and Souley Mohamadou (fourth official). Malian national Bekaye Magassa is the referees’ assessor.
The Stallions, as Burkina Faso national football team is affectionally known amongs its ardent followers, have already touched down in South Africa. The visitors are minus injured attackers Jonathan Pitroipa and Jonathan Zongo as well as reliable defender Issoufou Dayo (suspension).
Burkina Faso share top spot in Group D with tiny Cape Verde on six points each after four rounds of matches, a point above Senegal and five points ahead of their Saturday’s opponents South Africa.
The latter and Senegal do have a match in hand after their first meeting was chalked off by FIFA after Ghanaian referee Joseph Lamptey was found guilty of result manipulation.
The two teams played to a 1–all draw in an African Qualifiers in Ouagadougou the last time the teams locked horns, which makes Saturday’s match an enticing one.