African Sports Monthly February 2013 Issue | Page 21

CAF regularly use these referees in club competitions in the continent and should
have regularly reviewed their performances so that they get it right. It is very embarrassing for such things to happen in Africa’s most prestigious tournament. CAF will
need to go back to the drawing board and set up work shops, regularly review referees’ performances so that such a debacle does not happen again. I heard many suggestions that maybe referees should be brought in from abroad for the tournament but
that is rubbish. What we need to do is to improve the performances of our referees.
After all we have seen some equally shocking decisions in Europe this season despite
the fact that they have assistants behind the post. That still does not excuse the standard seen at the Nations Cup and I think they simply have to improve.

SHOULD PAUL PUT HAVE BEEN IN CHARGE OF BURKINA FASO?
While everyone was quick to commend Paul Put for leading Burkina Faso to the
African Cup of Nations final, I have no problem with is achievement. What I do
have a problem with though is should he have been there in the first place? This is
a man who has been banned for three years in his native Belgium from coaching
due to his involvement in match fixing, yet he has been welcomed in Burkina Faso
with open hands. Should the ban not have been enforced world wide by FIFA?
Does anyone think that it was the other way round and an African coach was in the
same position he would be employed as a coach in Europe under the same circumstances?
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