One of Africa's top referees Bakary Papa Gassama has been named to officiate the final of the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations between Ghana and Ivory Coast in the Equatorial Guinea city of Bata on Sunday, capping an excellent tournament for the Gambian official.
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) named the young official to take charge of the most important match of the three-week competition after he officiated the opening game of the tournament between the hosts and two-time champions DR Congo at the Estadio de Bata.
Gassama will be assisted by talented referees Djibril Camara from Senegal and Sudan’s Waleed Ahmed Ali.
Zambia might have been eliminated from the finals in Equatorial Guinea but Zambian presence will be present in tomorrow’s final through referee Jan Sikazwe.
Sikazwe has been appointed fourth official for tomorrow’s final between Ivory Coast and Ghana.
The Kapiri-Mposhi based referee is only Zambian referee at the tournament and officiated the group stage match between Mali and Cameroon and a quarter-final involving Ghana and Guinea that the Black Stars won.
But the heavy burden will be on Africa's best referee Gassama who was nominated as one of the twelve contenders for the Globe Soccer Awards in Dubai, in December, and finished second in the 2013 CAF Awards will be officiating in his fourth consecutive AFCON finals.
Last year, he also officiated at his second successive African Champions League final when he took charge of the decider between eventual winners Entente Setif from Algeria and Vita Club of DR Congo.
He had earlier refereed the 2013 decider between Al Ahly from Egypt and Orlando Pirates from South Africa. It is always considered that the second leg is the most difficult and therefore the more experienced officials are engaged for this.
Gassama who only joined FIFA as an international referee in 2007 has a huge amount of experience.
He refereed in the semi-finals of the Confederations Cup earlier this month and also made history when he officiated two games in the Qatari domestic football league last month and became the first non-Asian referee to do so.
This came about following a Memorandum of Understanding with the Qatari Football Federation and CAF in terms of refereeing assistance. This Memorandum of Understanding allows for continental Africa to assign its top referees and assistants to officiate some of the toughest and fiercely contested games in the Qatari Super League.
As part of the implementation stage of the agreement, Gassama, who was voted as one of the seven best referees by Fifa's Referees Committee at this summer's World Cup in Brazil, became the first African to be appointed for the assignment.
Papa Gassama is no stranger to tough encounters between the African continent's top teams.
He also got the 2013 Club World Cup in Morocco underway and was the first to ever use the vanishing spray, which was on a trial period at that competition.
He would later referee the semifinals between eventual winners Bayern Munich and Guanzhou Evergrande of China.