Cameroonian referee Abdou Abdel Mefire, aged 29, has been appointed to officiate the opening CAF Champions League group-stage match between Simba and Petro Atletico, scheduled for Sunday, November 23 at the Benjamin Mkapa Stadium.
Born on August 2, 1996, this will be his first time refereeing a club-level encounter involving continental giants, although he has already officiated several national team matches.
He began refereeing international matches in the 2023β2024 season. On August 22, 2025, he served as the center referee when Tanzania lost 1β0 to Morocco in the quarter-finals of the CHAN tournament at the Benjamin Mkapa Stadium in Dar es Salaam.
He also officiated the Tanzania U20 national team in the AFCON U20 tournament, where they lost 1β0 to Egypt on May 9, 2025.
Mefire was the match official for the 2024 CHAN final, in which Morocco defeated Madagascar 3β2 at the Moi International Sports Centre in Kenya.