– Tunisian referee
Slim Jdidi has been suspended for his
controversial handling of the Africa Cup
of Nations semi-final between Ghana
and Burkina Faso, the organisers said
Thursday.
“We would have expected a better
standard,” Confederation of African
Football (CAF) secretary-general Hicham El
Amrani told a media conference just
hours after Burkina Faso lodged an
official appeal against key player
Jonathan Pitroipa’s red card in the semi-
final win over Ghana on Wednesday.
“There is a meeting tomorrow (Friday) to
discuss the Pitroipa incident,” El Amrani
told reporters.
The official said Pitroipa’s chances of
playing in the final depend on the match
report sent in by Jdidi..
“The organising committee does not
have the power to change the referee’s
decision unless the referee admits he
made a mistake in his official report,”
said El Amrani.
As it stands, Pitroipa will miss Sunday’s
Cup of Nations final against Nigeria in
Soweto after picking up two yellow
cards in the stunning penalty shoot-out
success over the Black Stars.
Pitroipa, who has scored twice in the
tournament, was sent off three minutes
from the end of extra time on
Wednesday for diving when, in fact, he
had clearly been knocked to the ground
after tangling with an opponent.
Team manager Gualbert Kabore,
speaking at the team hotel in north-
eastern city Nelspruit, told AFP: “The
Burkina Faso Football Federation wrote
an offical letter of appeal to CAF
(competition organisers).
“We lodged it in the two hours after the
match as stipulated by the regulations.
“We think we have a good chance of
winning the appeal.”
Kabore, a distant relation to another key
Burkinabe player, midfielder and vice-
captain Charles Kabore, echoed coach
Paul Put’s dim view of Jdidi’s decision-
making during the match.
Chief among the Tunisian’s perceived
errors in the Burkina Faso camp were
the rejection of a legitimate penalty
claim, a disallowed goal that appeared to
be valid, and Pitroipa’s sending off.
“There were some scandalous decisions,
we don’t know why, we’re asking lots of
questions, there are lots of theories,”
said Kabore.
“Curiously, the players reacted better
than us (the team management). They
said if the referee is against us that must
mean we are the stronger side.”
Burkina Faso are hoping to hear later
Thursday whether their appeal has been
successful.
The Stallions are already having to do
without the services of top scorer Alain
Traore.
He was leading the scoring charts in
South Africa with three goals only for his
Nations Cup to end prematurely when he
sustained an injury against Zambia in the
final first-round game.

www.vanguardngr.com/2013/02/ref-suspended-b-faso-appeal-pitroipa-red-card/