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Local referees miss out on AFCON

Referees.PIC KENNEDY RAMOKONE
Referees.PIC KENNEDY RAMOKONE

Botswana match officials have been excluded from the roster assigned to officiate the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations finals in Ivory Coast.

CAF has released a list of referees, assistant referees, and Video Assistant Referees (VAR), but it does not feature any local officials.

Local match officials came under unwanted scrutiny in April when four were suspended by CAF for inaccurate reporting.

The CAF Referee's Committee took action against Joshua Bondo and his assistants, Mogomotsi Morakile, Kitso Sibanda, and Tshepo Gobagoba, following their handling of an AFCON qualifier between Benin Republic and Rwanda.

The controversy arose when Benin Republic protested the second-leg match, which was held in Kigali, Rwanda after a Rwandan defender who had been booked in the first leg and was supposed to miss the second leg, was fielded.

Bondo received a six-month suspension, while Morakile, Sibanda, and Gobagoba were side-lined for three months.

Furthermore, the Botswana Football Association also suspended the officials until further notice.

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