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Kenyan referee Stephen Yiembe has been selected by the International Association Football Federation (FIFA) to officiate in the upcoming Paris Olympics.

Yiembe, who previously served as part of the Africa Cup of Nations match officials, has been named among the assistant referees for the competition scheduled for July.

Sole Kenyan referee

He stands as the sole Kenyan representative on the list, which also includes four match officials from the CECAFA region.

The FIFA Referees Committee has appointed a total of 89 match officials from 45 countries to officiate matches at the Olympic Football Tournaments Paris 2024. This group comprises 21 referees, 42 assistant referees, 20 video match officials, and six support referees.

The women’s tournament is set to kick off on July 25, 2024, and will culminate with the gold medal match at the Parc des Princes in Paris on August 10, 2024. Similarly, the men’s competition will commence on July 24, 2024, with the gold medal match scheduled for August 9, 2024, also at the Parc des Princes.

The preparation of match officials will be closely monitored before and during the Olympic Games by a team of FIFA technical trainers.

This team, which includes referees, video assistant referee (VAR) instructors, match analysts, fitness coaches, physiotherapists, and sports scientists, aims to provide the officials with the best possible guidance and support.

While the Olympic Football Tournaments Paris 2024 serve as this year’s flagship football competitions, they hold significant importance for the selected match officials.

Crucial step

For them, this represents the next crucial step on the journey towards officiating in prestigious tournaments such as the FIFA World Cup 2026™ and the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027™.

To ensure fairness and accuracy, referees in both the women’s and men’s tournaments will be assisted by goal-line technology and the VAR system, which includes semi-automated offside technology.