Kenyan Referee to Take Charge of AFCON Clash Between Morocco & DRC

Kenyan Referee Peter Waweru will on Sunday, January 21, take charge of a match between Morocco and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in the ongoing AFCON.

The Football Kenya Federation (FKF) premier league referee will officiate his first match in the 2024 tournament as the central referee, days after he featured as a Video Assistant Referee (VAR) official.

On Sunday, January 14, Waweru played a pivotal role in the last-minute when the VAR was invoked to make a high-stake decision.

In the match, the Kenyan referee awarded a penalty that rescued Egypt from the brink of defeat against Mozambique in their opening Group B encounter at the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Abidjan.

The high-stake match at the Felix Houphouet Boigny Stadium in Abidjan had seen the seven-time African champions struggling against a resilient Mozambique side.

Mostafa Mohamed opened the scoring for Egypt after just two minutes, but the snapping heat and humidity took a toll on the Pharaohs, allowing Mozambique to mount a comeback.

Witness Quembo equalized for Mozambique in the 55th minute, and the game took a surprising turn when substitute Clesio Bauque scored three minutes later, giving Mozambique a 2-1 lead.

VAR Awards a Penalty

The turning point just came as Mozambique was on the verge of securing a historic victory in the Africa Cup of Nations after Peter Waweru, Video Assistant Referee (VAR) awarded a penalty in the dying moments of the game.

The decision was based on a foul on Mustafa Mohamed in the area, presenting Egypt with a Lifeline. Salah converted the penalty in the seventh minute of injury time, denying Mozambique their first-ever AFCON win.

Egypt secured a 2-2 draw against Mozambique.

The late-game drama highlighted the challenges Egypt faces in their quest for an eighth AFCON crown.

Nonetheless, the next crucial match for Egypt is against Ghana’s Black Stars on Thursday, which could determine their fate in the tournament.

Also Read: Top Five Forwards Representing Their Countries in 2024 AFCON

Morocco hopes of winning Group F

Morocco will seek use its momentum gained from their opening 3-0 win in a match against Tanzania to remain top of the group.

Despite being a favorite ahead of the match, Morocco will face a formidable opponent with notable players including Yoane Wissa of Brentford FC and Cedric Bakambu of Galatasaray.

In their past five meetings at AFCON, Morocco has won twice while DRC won once and drawn twice.

Also Read: How DStv Made Last Minute Deal to Secure AFCON Rights

FKF Referee, Peter Waweru

41-year-old Peter Waweru an experienced Football Kenya Federation (FKF) referee is also a Professor of Pure Mathematics at Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology in Kenya.

Waweru was born in Kenya’s capital, Nairobi where he attended Gatheri Primary School and Alliance High School.

He graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics & Computer Science in (2006) and a Master of Science in Pure Mathematics (2008) both from Jomo Kenyatta University.

Waweru attained a Ph.D. in Pure Mathematics in 2013 from Jomo Kenyatta University and in 2015 accomplished a Postgraduate Diploma in Education Technology from University of Cape Town.

The VAR referee has served in different positions and capacities including working as an Academic teaching assistant (2007-2009), a Tutorial Fellow (2009-2013), a lecturer (2013-2019) and since 2019 he serves as a senior lecturer at Jomo Kenyatta University.

Peter Waweru Career in Football

Peter Waweru started to officiate football matches in the lower leagues of Kenya in 2011.

In 2013, he joined Kenyan Premier League and was listed as a FIFA referee in 2017.

Moreover, he has officiated in various FIFA tournaments such as Afcon U20 in 2019, Afcon 2019 in Egypt, 2019 U17 World Cup in Brazil, and 2021 Chan where he officiated the final.

Since 2017, Waweru has officiated several CAF Champions League games, Confederation Cup matches, and FIFA World Cup qualifying matches.

Furthermore, he was picked as one of the referees for the 2021 Afcon held in Cameroon. He is a member of the 20-pioneer group for CAF/FIFA Professional Referee since 2020.