The Confederation of African Football has assigned Egyptian official Amin Mohamed Omar as the referee for the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations semi-final clash between Nigeria’s Super Eagles and South Africa’s Bafana Bafana, scheduled for Wednesday.
The match, set to kick off at 5 pm Cote d’Ivoire time (6 pm in Nigeria), will have Omar’s compatriots, Mahmoud Kamel Abouelregal and Ahmed Hossam Ibrahim, serving as assistant referee 1 and assistant referee 2, respectively. Sudanese Mahmood Ali Ismail will act as the fourth official. Attia Essa Amsaaed from Libya is designated as the reserve assistant referee, while Yacoub Ali Elmi from Djibouti serves as commissioner, and Aboubacar Doumbouya from Guinea assumes the role of the referee assessor.
This semi-final clash between three-time champions Nigeria and 1996 champions South Africa, taking place at the Stade de la Paix, marks their second-ever meeting at this stage. The previous encounter at the National Stadium in Lagos during the 2000 finals, which Nigeria co-hosted with Ghana, concluded with a 2-0 victory for Nigeria.
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Wednesday’s match is anticipated as the potentially more intense of the two semi-finals, with hosts Cote d’Ivoire facing the Democratic Republic of Congo in the other fixture. The significance of this clash lies in the historical rivalry, pedigree, and ambitions of both teams.
In the past 14 senior-level meetings, South Africa has defeated Nigeria only twice, with Nigeria securing a 3-1 victory in a 2014 African Nations Championship clash in Cape Town. Currently, the Eagles are ranked 42nd globally by FIFA (6th in Africa), while Bafana Bafana holds the 66th position worldwide (12th in Africa).
The teams last met in the quarter-final stage four years ago, where the Super Eagles emerged victorious with a 2-1 win at the Cairo International Stadium, courtesy of goals from Samuel Chukwueze and William Ekong. Both players are part of the current squad and are expected to play a crucial role in Wednesday’s encounter.