Cameroonian referee Sidi Neant Alioum and his two assistants, Evarist Menkouande and Elvis Nguengoue, received a resounding welcome back home after officiating in the AFCON 2019 final in Cairo on Friday, July 19, Completesports.com reports.
The trio arrived in Yaoundé on Sunday as fans stood on the streets to cheer and welcome them.
Even though the national team failed to go beyond the Round of 16 where they lost to the Super Eagles of Nigeria, the referees lifted the Cameroon flag very high by taking control of the final game between Senegal and Algeria on Friday, July 19.
Centre referee, Sidi Neant Alioum ans his assistants – Evarist Menkouande and Elvis Nguengoue get heroic welcome in Cameroon
AFCON 2019 final centre referee Sidi Neant Alioum
Alioum and his two assistant referees were the first Cameroonian officials to handle a final match in the history of the Africa Cup of Nations. And they achieved that feat in the first ever 24-team AFCON.
Also Read – AFCON 2019 Ranking: How Each of The 24 Teams Finished
Algeria beat Senegal 1-0 fair and square at the Cairo International Stadium to win their second AFCON title.
Cameroon Football Federation president Seidou Mbombo Njoya also welcomed the Egypt 2019 officiating officials.
By Adeboye Amosu
COMMENTS
Our Naija refs shd pls try and be amongst the elite refs in Africa.I don’t know why caf and Fifa always over look them.
Nigerian referees are not being over looked rather it was because our refs are so corrupt with their bad officiating attitude that is why FIFA or CAF are not calling Nigeria refs to officiate an important tournament
The state of our league is the reason that Nigerian refs are not being called up. From April to December last year,the league was abandoned, right through the world cup. A “non-active” referee would not be called up when there are thousands of refs to call upon around the world.
Also the current season that just finished was not a full season. January to June is only six months, as against all other countries in Africa that had the normal 11 month (August to June). So other countries referees have more experience than ours.
If we look at it properly, its not the Nigerian referees fault, its not corruption, its not their performance during games, it is that in 18 months they have only had about 6 to 8 months of activity.
Another hangover of the abandoned league last year.