Senegal referees to handle 2017 FIFA Club World Cup opener in UAE

Senegalese referee Malang Diedhiou and his countrymen Djibril Camara and Malick Samba have been appointed as match officials for the opening 2017 FIFA Club World Cup in UAE.

The trio officiated the second leg final of the CAF Confederation Cup between Supersport United (South Africa) and TP Mazembe (DR Congo) on 25 November 2017 in Pretoria which ended goalless.

Local side Al Jazira and Auckland City of New Zealand will clash at the Hazza bin Zayed Stadium in Al Ain on Wednesday, 6 December 2017.

The match is a play-off for the quarter finals.

''The appointment of the trio for the opening match is a good sign for African referees and the game in general. I’m hopeful that they will showcase the rising status of refereeing on the continent to the rest of the world,'' said CAF Refereeing Manager, Eddy Maillet.

African referees have been prominent at the FIFA Club World Cup with Zambia’s Janny Sikazwe handling last year’s final between eventual winners, Real Madrid (Spain) and Kashima Antlers.