CAIRO, Feb 9 (Reuters) - A Tunisian official, once banned for a year for trying to influence the decision of another referee, has been appointed to handle Friday's African Nations Cup final.
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) announced on
Thursday that 43-year-old Mourad Daami would officiate at the
final between Egypt and Ivory Coast in Cairo.
It will be Daami's second time in charge of a Nations Cup
final.
He was also the official for the 2000 final in Lagos where
Cameroon beat hosts Nigeria after a post-match penalty shootout.
The result was clouded in controversy when television
replays showed that Daami had erred in disallowing a kick during
the shootout by Nigerian Victor Ikpeba. The ball hit the
underside of the crossbar and crossed the line before bouncing
out.
The mistake proved decisive as Cameroon won 4-3 on penalties
after a 2-2 draw.
Daami was banned in 2001 after being found guilty of trying
to influence the referee at the 2000 African Champions League
final, played in Ghana between Hearts of Oak and the Tunisian
club Esperance.
Daami, who attended the match as a member of Esperance's
delegation, entered the referee's change room to try to persuade
colleague Robbie Williams of South Africa to call off the match
because of rioting by spectators at Accra's National stadium.
Esperance, who were trailing on aggregate, had sought to
induce several stoppages during the match in order to get it
abandoned and were also later sanctioned by CAF.
Daami's ban was rescinded after nine months and in 2002 he
was among the officials at the World Cup finals in Japan and
South Korea.
Daami's assistants on Friday will be Brahim Djezzar of
Algeria and Celestin Ntagungira of Rwanda.
