Football   Seychellois Hensley Petrousse officiates at Chan   |18 January 2023

Pictured here (second right) before the start of a friendly match between Seychelles and Sri Lanka, Petrousse is officiating at the Chan in Algeria

Seychellois Hensley Petrousse is in Algeria as one of the officials at the ongoing 2023 African Nations Football championship.

Petrousse is the only Seychellois official picked in the capacity of assistant referee in the list of 52 officials representing 32 of the Confederation of African Football (Caf) member associations.

Of the 52 match officials, there are 19 centre referees, 21 assistant referees, and 12 video assistant referees.

In keeping with its policy of promoting women’s refereeing, Caf has appointed three women match officials. Vincentia E. Amedone (Togo) is the only female centre referee with assistant referees Carine Atezambong Fomo (Cameroon) and Diane Chikotesha (Zambia) being the other women picked.

Caf head of refereeing, Désiré Noumandiez Doué, said they have opted for a blend of experience and youth to offer a platform for the upcoming officials.

"For this competition, we have combined experience with youth ‒ we have a number of up and coming and promising referees. Chan is a global competition and a great platform for our match officials. As we start a new World Cup cycle, this gives us an opportunity to build. We have Afcon ‒ both men and women in 2024 ‒ and a number of competitions under this cycle. I'm particularly pleased to see more women joining the bigger group," Doué said as quoted on CAFonline.

Initially scheduled for 2022, the African Nations Football championship (Chan) is taking place from January 13 to February 4, 2023, in Algeria across four cities including Algiers, Constantine, Oran and Annaba.

First staged in 2009 in Côte d'Ivoire, the Chan is Africa’s second-largest nation’s premier competition and acts as a barometer for home-grown African talent, with only players who ply their trade on the continent eligible to compete in the tournament. It leaves the door open for some lesser-known players to capture the attention of the world as stars from the domestic leagues of the nations involved are given an excellent platform to showcase their skills.

Following the rise from 16 to 18 teams, the 2023 Chan in Algeria will be the first competition when 18 teams will compete for continental recognition.

The 2022 edition (in 2023) sees teams competing in five groups for the initial stage of action, with two groups of four teams and three of three. The late withdrawal of champions Morocco means group C now includes only three teams compared to the original four.

Quarterfinals begin on January 27 with semifinals on January 31, and the final taking place on Saturday February 4.

Now in its seventh iteration, the Chan was most recently won by Morocco in Cameroon in 2020.

The seventh Chan kicked off at the Nelson Mandela Stadium in Baraki locality, southern Algiers last Friday and hosts Algeria beat Libya 1-0 through Aymen Mahious' 57th-minute penalty in the tournament opener.

It was Algerian Prime Minister Ayman Benabderrahmane who declared the championship open in the presence of several international sports personalities and big world football names, including Fifa president Gianni Infantino and president of the Confederation of African Football (Caf) Patrice Motsepe.

In his opening remarks, Benabderrahmane welcomed all teams and guests to the tournament as he paid tribute to late Nelson Mandela.

Last Thursday, Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune inaugurated the Nelson Mandela Stadium which was named after the late South African President and anti-apartheid activist Nelson Mandela in tribute to his legacy.

The list of officials

Referees: Loutfi Bekouassa (Algeria), Milazare Patrice (Mauritius), Alhadi Allaou Mahamat (Chad), Kalilou Ibrahim Traore (Côte d'Ivoire), Adel Elsaid Hussien M. (Egypt), Abdelaziz Bouh (Mauritania), Ibrahim Mutaz (Libya), Sabry Karim (Morocco), Atcho Pierre Ghislain (Gabon), Celso Armindo Alvacao (Mozambique), Samuel Uwikunda (Rwanda), Mahmood Ali M. Ismail (Sudan), Nkounkou Messie J. Oved (Congo), Melki Mehrez (Tunisia), Djindo Louis Hougnandande (Benin), Daouda Gueye (Senegal), Tom Abongile (South Africa), Ngwa Blaise Yuven (Cameroon), Vincentia E. Amedome (Togo).

Assistant referees: Abbes Akram Zerhouni (Algeria), Brahim El Hamlaoui Sid Ali (Algeria), Clemence Kanduku (Malawi), Eric Ayimavo Ulrich Ayamr (Benin), Kwasi Brobbey (Ghana), Hamedine Diba (Mauritania), Ngoh Adou Hermann Desire (Côte d’Ivoire), Hamza Hagi Abdi (Somalia), Modibo Samake (Mali), Dos Reis Abelmiro Montenegro (Sao T. & P.), Ditsoga Boris Marlaise (Gabon), Menye Mpele Rodrigue (Cameroon), Nouha Bangoura (Senegal), Sanou Habib Judicael (Burkina Faso), Dieudonne Mutuyimana (Rwanda), Lopes Ivanildo Meirelles de S. (Angola), Hensley Petrousse (Seychelles), Abdul Aziz Bollel Jawo (Gambia), Emery Niyongabo (Burundi), Atezambong Fomo Carine (Cameroon), Diana Chikotesha (Zambia).

Video assistant referees (VAR): Mahmoud Ashor (Egypt), Issa Sy (Senegal), Lahlou Benbraham (Algeria), Pacifique Ndabihawenimana (Burundi), Haythem Guirat (Tunisia), Bamlak Tessema Weyesa (Ethiopia), Samir Guezzaz (Morocco), Peter Waweru Kamaku (Kenya), Daniel Laryea (Ghana), Zakaria Brinsi (Morocco), Dahane Beida (Mauritania), Mohammed Abdallah Ibrahim (Sudan).

Past Chan winners

2009   DR Congo

2011   Tunisia           

2014   Libya

2016   DR Congo

2018   Morocco

2020   Morocco

Compiled by Gerard Govinden