Malian referee to officiate Al-Masry-Simba encounter
Boubou Traore
What you need to know:
- The 36-year-old referee has a reputation for favoring home teams, making it difficult for visiting sides to secure positive results. So far, he has officiated 25 club-level matches in various African competitions.
Dar es Salaam. The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has appointed Malian referee Boubou Traore to officiate the first-leg match of the CAF Confederation Cup between hosts Al-Masry and Tanzania's Simba SC. The two teams will face off on April 2.
The 36-year-old referee has a reputation for favoring home teams, making it difficult for visiting sides to secure positive results. So far, he has officiated 25 club-level matches in various African competitions.
Out of these, 17 ended in victory for the home teams, while only six were won by away sides, with two matches resulting in draws. Additionally, Traore has issued a total of four red cards and 86 yellow cards.
This will be the second time this season that Traore officiates an Al-Masry home game. His first encounter with the Egyptian club came during the group stage when they secured a 2-0 victory over Nigeria’s Enyimba on November 27, 2024.
Tanzanian football fans may remember Traore from last season’s CAF Champions League group-stage clash between Yanga SC and Algeria’s CR Belouizdad.
In that match, Yanga delivered a dominant 4-0 home victory. Simba SC is aiming to reach the semi-finals of the CAF Confederation Cup for the first time in history.
Their last attempt, in the 2021-22 season, ended in the quarter-finals when they were eliminated by South Africa’s Orlando Pirates. This is not the first time Simba SC will face Al-Masry.
The two teams previously met during the 2017-18 CAF Confederation Cup play-off round. In the first leg, played at the Benjamin Mkapa Stadium in Dar es Salaam, the match ended in a 2-2 draw. The second leg, played in Cairo, Egypt, finished in a goalless draw, resulting in Simba’s elimination from the tournament.
With a history between these two sides and Traore’s officiating record favoring home teams, Simba SC faces a tough challenge in Egypt.
The Tanzanian giants will need to deliver a strong performance to secure a favorable result before the return leg in Dar es Salaam.
