Victor Gomes Chosen to Officiate at World Cup, Controversial Senegalese and Gambian Referees Also Make the Cut

• Victor Gomes will fly the flag high for South Africa at the upcoming FIFA World Cup tournament in Qatar
• South Africa's Victor Gomes is among eight African referees who were selected to officiate at the World Cup
• Maguette N'Diaye, the referee who cost Bafana their spot, was also selected to officiate in Qatar at the World Cup

South Africa may not be competing at the FIFA World Cup this year but will be represented thanks to Victor Gomes.

Gomes was announced as one of eight referees selected from the African continent who will officiate at the World Cup in November and December.

Gomes shot to stardom this year as his performances in the AFCON final between Senegal and Egypt drew much praise.

His particular interaction with Mohamed Salah, where he offered the Egyptian his cards, became a viral moment.

As reported by AllAfrica.com, Gomes has now been selected among the eight African referees selected for the tournament.

North African teams dominate CAF Champions League as Mamelodi Sundowns and Petro de Luanda represent the South

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The other referees are: Jean Jacques Ndala (RD Congo), Mustapha, Ghorbal (Algeria), Redouane Jiyed (Morocco), Papa Bakary Gassama (Gambia), Balmak Tessema (Ethiopia), Victor Gomes (South Africa), Janny Sikazwe (Zambia), and Maguette N'diaye (Senegal).

Controversial referees make the cut

Gambia’s Papa Bakary Gassama has also been selected for the World Cup, despite his poor track record. Mamelodi Sundowns have previously complained about his officiating during CAF Champions League games, while Egypt asked that he be replaced with another referee after he was chosen to officiate their semi-final clash with Cameroon at AFCON.

Algeria became the latest side to officially complain about Gassama, asking that FIFA grant them a rematch against Cameroon due to the biased refereeing during their World Cup second leg qualifier.

South African fans will be most disappointed to see Maguette N'diaye’s name on the list. N’diaye controversially cost Bafana a place in AFCON and the World Cup after he awarded Ghana a dubious penalty.

Huge blow as FIFA picks 8 African referees for 2022 World Cup, snubs Nigeria

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N’diaye’s place at Qatar 2022 was in threat, Times LIVE reported, after the South African Football Association launched an appeal into the game, but FIFA found no wrongdoing on the referee’s behalf.

Referee Victor Gomes speaks out about infamous Mohamed Salah moment in AFCON 2021 final that went viral

No-nonsense South African referee Victor Gomes has spoken out for the first time since the 2021 African Cup of Nations final in Cameroon where he became a global household name, Sports Brief earlier reported.

In a match that Senegal won on penalties after it ended 0-0 in regulation time, Gomes was seen reading Egyptian superstar Mo Salah the riot act. To cap off the memorable moment, he then offered Salah the whistle, sarcastically urging him to officiate the match.

This came after incessant complaining by the Liverpool forward. Victor Gomes has since come out and said that his approach to the final was to ensure that he put the game first, as reported on Sport24.