Meet A Ugandan Referee Who Has To Withdraw From Officiating 2021 AFRICON And Reasons Why.
A famous football Ugandan referee has withdrawn from officiating 2021 African Cup of Nation matches early next year.
Dick Okello has withdrawn from 2021 AFRICOM due to his religious beliefs. According to the report which leaked online last week, Okello’s religion doesn’t permit members to take the Covid-19 Jab.
The referee is now set to miss out in the AFRICON next year because all officials must first get vaccinated to be allowed to officiate the matches.
Okello is a high profile match official who officiated at the 2021 CAF Champions League final between Al Ahly and Kaizer Chiefs.
His absence is a huge blow to the country in terms of referee appointments at high levels of football.
Dick Okello is going to be replaced by Frank John Komba from the Republic of Tanzania to officiate at the tournament.
Dick Okello (31) is a born again Christian who allegedly shunned getting the covid-19 vaccine because his faith does not permit vaccination.
According to the CAF and travel guidelines, individuals wishing to travel for the AFRICON tournament from any part of the world including tournament officials have to be fully vaccinated and must be tested in due time before kick-off of the tournament.
The guidelines from CAF are even more strict with the match officials and individuals who will access the playing ground. This group of people must that the vaccine against the deadly virus for them to access the playing grounds.
The African Cup of Nations (AFRICON) will be held in Cameroon and is scheduled to begin on January 9 and end on February 6 2022.
The final shall be played at Yaounde, the capital city of Cameroon.
Next year’s African cup of the nation is expected to be highly competitive with the qualified teams having prepared well for the tournament.
