{"id":59284,"date":"2025-07-19T20:21:03","date_gmt":"2025-07-19T20:21:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/caf-appoints-bakary-gassama-as-referee-development-manager"},"modified":"2025-07-19T20:50:03","modified_gmt":"2025-07-19T20:50:03","slug":"caf-appoints-bakary-gassama-as-referee-development-manager","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/caf-appoints-bakary-gassama-as-referee-development-manager","title":{"rendered":"CAF Appoints Bakary Gassama as Referee Development Manager"},"content":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Lesotho. <\/strong><\/span>The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has announced the appointment of former Gambian international referee, Bakary Papa Gassama, as the Manager of Referees\u2019 Development in Africa, marking a new chapter in the celebrated official\u2019s illustrious career.<\/p>\n

One of the most respected referees on the continent, Gassama brings a wealth of experience to the role, having officiated at multiple FIFA World Cups, Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) tournaments, and high-profile international matches. His appointment signals CAF\u2019s renewed focus on raising the standard and consistency of refereeing across Africa.<\/p>\n

In his new role, Gassama will oversee the development, training, and assessment of referees across the continent. He will work closely with CAF\u2019s Refereeing Department to introduce modern techniques, enhance referee education programs, and identify and nurture emerging<\/p>\n

His appointment comes at a crucial time, as CAF continues to push for professionalism and integrity in officiating, and aims to restore confidence in match officials after years of criticism and controversy.<\/p>\n

Gassama\u2019s legacy on the pitch is widely admired, and his transition into a leadership role is expected to inspire and uplift refereeing standards across the continent.<\/p>\n

For More News And Analysis About Lesotho<\/span> Follow Africa-Press<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Lesotho. The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has announced the appointment of former Gambian international referee, Bakary Papa Gassama, as the Manager of Referees\u2019 Development in Africa, marking a new chapter in the celebrated official\u2019s illustrious career. One of the most respected referees on the continent, Gassama brings a wealth of experience to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":59283,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,17],"tags":[245],"class_list":["post-59284","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-sport","tag-lesotho"],"yoast_head":"\nCAF Appoints Bakary Gassama as Referee Development Manager - Lesotho<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has announced the appointment of former Gambian international referee, Bakar ...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/caf-appoints-bakary-gassama-as-referee-development-manager\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"CAF Appoints Bakary Gassama as Referee Development Manager\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has announced the appointment of former Gambian international referee, Bakar ...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/caf-appoints-bakary-gassama-as-referee-development-manager\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Lesotho\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AfricaPressTunisiaa\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-07-19T20:21:03+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-07-19T20:50:03+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/sites\/62\/2025\/07\/sm_1752941935.767097.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1280\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"720\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/caf-appoints-bakary-gassama-as-referee-development-manager#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/caf-appoints-bakary-gassama-as-referee-development-manager\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"headline\":\"CAF Appoints Bakary Gassama as Referee Development Manager\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-07-19T20:21:03+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-07-19T20:50:03+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/caf-appoints-bakary-gassama-as-referee-development-manager\"},\"wordCount\":207,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/caf-appoints-bakary-gassama-as-referee-development-manager#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/sites\/62\/2025\/07\/sm_1752941935.767097.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Lesotho\"],\"articleSection\":[\"all news\",\"sport\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/caf-appoints-bakary-gassama-as-referee-development-manager#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/caf-appoints-bakary-gassama-as-referee-development-manager\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/caf-appoints-bakary-gassama-as-referee-development-manager\",\"name\":\"CAF Appoints Bakary Gassama as Referee Development Manager - 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