Kenyan elite referee to officiate CAF Champions League semifinal tie

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FOOTBALL Kenyan elite referee to officiate CAF Champions League semifinal tie

Festus Chuma 15:23 - 05.05.2023

The arbitrator has accrued 15 years of experience officiating in the local scene.

Kenyan center referee Peter Kamaku Waweru has been appointed to officiate the first leg of the CAF Champions League between Esperance de Tunis and Al Ahly.

The encounter between the two African football giants will be played on Friday, May 12 at Stade Olympique de Rades in Tunisia.

The return fixture is scheduled for Friday, May 19, at the Cairo International Stadium in Egypt and is to be officiated by Mauritanian referee Dahane Beida.

Waweru, a seasoned arbitrator, boasts of over 15 years of experience in the local scene, having started officiating in lower leagues in 2011.

He has officiated in various CAF tournaments, such as U20-AFCON in 2019, AFCON 2019 in Egypt, and 2021 CHAN in Algeria.

The 40-year-old referee has also officiated several CAF Champions League games, Confederation Cup matches, and FIFA World Cup qualifying matches across the continent. 

Aside from referring, Waweru is also a Professor of Pure Mathematics at Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology.

Esperance earned a spot in their third semifinal in six seasons after edging out Algeria’s JS Kabylie 2-1 on aggregate. In the first leg, the Blood and Gold won 1-0 before playing to a 1-1 draw in the reverse fixture in Tunis.

Al Ahly, on the other hand, progressed to the last four after edging out Morocco’s Raja Club Athletic. Both teams played to a goalless draw in the first leg, while the second leg ended 2-0 in favour of the Red Eagles.

The teams will battle it out a day before Wydad Casablanca meets Mamelodi Sundowns in the second semifinal at Stade Mohamed V in Morocco.