Referee Lamptey selected for Africa U-17 Championship

Accra, March 15, GNA - Ghanaian referee Joseph O. Lamptey has been selected for the 8th Africa U-17 Championship slated for Algeria from March 19 to April 2, 2009.

Lamptey, 34, is the only Ghanaian among the selected 16 selected officials for the continental cadet championship.

According to information gathered by GNA Sports from the CAF Secretariat, the Immigration Officer must however pass a mandatory "Cooper Test" 72 hours to the opening ceremony to be declared match-fit. The cadet championship will be the first major continental championship for the experienced referee since obtaining his Federation of International Football Association (FIFA) badge in 2005. Other selected referees for the three-week tourney are Khelifi Abdesslam (Algeria), Karembe Ousman (Mali), Martins de Carvalho Helder (Angola), El Achiri Abdellah (Morocco), Jididi Slim (Tunisia), Kayindi-Ngobi Fredrick (Uganda) and Ould Ali Lemghaifry (Mauritania).

The selected assistant referees are Omari Bouabdalah (Algeria, Medupe Meshack (Botswana), Gooding Augustine (Liberia), Moussa Yanoussa (Cameroon), John Longional (Tanzania), Bouende Malonga (Congo), Egueh Yacin Hassan (Djibouti) and Jawo Dickory (Gambia).

Lamptey's selection comes as a positive sign to the Ghanaian refereeing family after assistant referee Haruna Ayuba officiated at the maiden African Nations Championship (CHAN) which ended in Cote D'Ivoire last week.