Football: 2026 Fifa World Cup qualification – Confederation of African Football (Caf) |08 November 2023

The local trio for the 2026 Fifa World Cup (Caf) qualifier

Local trio gets Fifa World Cup 2026 qualifiers call-up

Three local officials, namely Keren Yocette, Hensley Petrousse and James Emile, have been chosen to accompany Mauritian Patrice Milazare for the 2026 Fifa World Cup qualification – Confederation of African Football (Caf) – qualifier between South Sudan and Mauritania.

The match is scheduled for November 21 at Stadium Me Abdoulaye Wade de Diamniadio, in Dakar, Senegal.

Petrousse and Emile will represent Seychelles as assistant referees, while Yocette will be the fourth official.

They will depart on Sunday November 16, and return on November 24.

Speaking to Sports NATION, Yocette said the call-up reflects their hard work put in over the years.

“It also shows the sacrifice we made to reach this point, but this is only the beginning as it is a chance for us to promote ourselves and our performance for more opportunities to come,” said Yocette.

He added he believes that the recent Fifa training they attended played a big role in their call-up for the qualifier.

“We did very well in the course, especially in the physical tests which played a vital role in acquiring the chance to officiate  another high level match,” said Yocette, adding that they will be focusing on putting up a good performance which might increase their chances to officiate matches in the campaign.

“There are 54 matches to be played and having been chosen to officiate one, we can consider ourselves lucky,” added Yocette.

He also said that they are continuously preparing for the task ahead with daily training, debriefings and officiating local matches.

“We do not just prepare on the spot for an event, but the process is continuous,” further added Yocette who also noted that he had previously worked with Milazare and that the latter knows what to expect from them and vice versa.

Yocette also explained that as part of their preparations, they conduct researches on both teams to understand their style of play, including tactics, for them to have a better picture of what to expect during the match.

Fully aware that the task ahead will not be easy, Yocette explained that they have to be ready both mentally and physically since African football is tough.

He also added that the call-up is also the perfect opportunity to show the great steps Seychelles’ refereeing has taken, even if our local competition is not at a high level.

Yocette also revealed that he is personally targeting a spot on the elite platform on the African continent, be it elite A or elite B and from there, try to move even further.

He said, as a team, they are focused and ready for the upcoming task, with high motivation good mentality among them, adding that the international exposure will also boost their performances during local matches.

To conclude, Yocette noted that there is nothing greater than representing your country at high level events, encouraging players who are considering retirement, as well as other people to join refereeing.

Neil Sirame