Lamptey to officiate El Jadida/OS Balantas Champions League clash

Accra, Feb. 25, GNA - Ghanaian referee Joseph Lamptey will be at the helm of affairs in this weekend's Orange CAF Champions League clash involving Difaa El Jadida of Morocco and OS Balantas of Guinea Bissau. The preliminary second leg clash of the Premier clubs competition is slated for the El Abdi Stadium at the Moroccan Port City of El Jadida. The first leg held in a Bissau a fortnight ago ended barren. Information gathered by GNA Sports from the CAF Secretariat in Cairo, Egypt, indicates that the 34-year old Lamptey will be assisted by compatriots Dawood Ouadrago and Alidu Salif Malik.

Moroccan Ramsis Khalid will act as the fourth official. Lamptey, an official of the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) was arguably the busiest Ghanaian 'Knight of the Whistle' last year, which culminated in his being nominated as 'Referee of the Year' by the Sports Writers Association of Ghana (SWAG).

He officiated in the qualifying matches of the 2010 World Cup/Orange Africa Cup of Nations and was also the only Ghanaian match official at the CAF U-17 Championship held in Algeria in March 2009. In a related development, Kumasi-based Reginald Lathbridge will lead a team of Ghanaian officials mandated to handle the Orange CAF Confederation Cup tie between Baraka FC of Guinea and Benfica of Guinea Bissau billed for Conakry. The 35-year old Lathbridge will be assisted by David Laryea and George Saijah with Guinean Mohamed Soumah expected to play the role of the fourth official.