Kenyan referee Peter Waweru will join other 12 Video Assistant Referee (VAR) officials set to officiate the 2022 African Nations Championship (CHAN) in Algeria.
This is after the Confederation of African Football (CAF) on Wednesday, December 28, published the complete list of match officials who will be on duty at the continental competition.
The popular Kenyan referee came into the limelight during the 2021 edition of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON 2021) tournament in Cameroon in January 2022.
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Particularly, Waweru's theatrical run in the 89th minute in the quarterfinal match featuring tournament favorites Nigeria and Guinea-Bissau left many fans both on the pitch and watching at home in stitches.
In a past interview on NTV, Waweru highlighted how transitioned from being a footballer, where he played as a goalkeeper, to a referee.
The professor of Pure Mathematics at the Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology had to make a choice between coaching and officiating after quitting his professional playing career.
While he began his referring career in 2011, Waweru's first experience officiating the Kenya Premier League (KPL) came in 2013 before being listed as a FIFA referee in 2017.
His recent appointment for CHAN comes after missing out on a chance to officiate at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar due to the ban imposed by FIFA on Kenya.
Apart from the AFCON tournament, Waweru has also officiated in a number of high-profile tournaments including the FIFA Under 17 World Cup tournament.
Waweru will join 51 other officials drawn from 32 CAF Member Associations in officiating the continental tournament that is expected to take place between January 13 to February 4, 2023, in Algeria.
A total of 52 officials have been selected by CAF to officiate at the tournament; of which 19 are center referees, 21 are assistant referees, and 12 are Video Assistant referees.
According to CAF Head of Refereeing, Désiré Noumandiez Doué the choice of selection of officials was inclusive of a mixture of experienced and youthful referees.
"For this competition, we have combined experience with youth - we have a number of upcoming and promising referees. CHAN is a global competition and a great platform for our match officials," part of his statement read.
Doue highlighted the pleasure to see more women involved in football as footballers and also match officials across the continent.
The opening fixture will be between host Algeria and Libya on January 13, 2023, at the Stade de Baraki in Algiers.
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