Mauritanian referee Dahane Beida has been appointed to officiate the African Super Cup final between Mamelodi Sundowns of South Africa and Algeria’s USM Alger on Sunday, 8 November.
The match, which brings together the African Champions League winners and the Confederation Cup holders, will be played at Loftus Stadium in Pretoria at 13:00 GMT.
According to an official source within the Confederation of African Football (CAF) Referees Committee, the governing body has selected a multinational team of officials to oversee the final, including those responsible for the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) system.
Beida will be assisted by Senegalese official Gabriel Camara, who has been named first assistant referee, and Cameroonian Elvis Guy Noupue, the second assistant. Mauritanian Abdel Aziz Bouh will serve as the fourth official.
The VAR team will be led by Mauritanian referee Babacar Sarr, with Cameroonian Karen Fomo appointed as assistant VAR. Sudanese official Ahmed Yasser Abdel Aziz has been assigned the additional assistant VAR role.
CAF has also confirmed the appointments of Zimbabwean Desmond Marengo as match observer and Malagasy official Halai Zafini Minga as match coordinator. Kenyan Franklin Ombia will assist the coordinator.
Given the significance of the continental fixture, CAF has also appointed officials to oversee marketing and commercial rights, media operations and security arrangements.
Preparations underway for Pretoria final
Organisational preparations for the match are progressing following a meeting between CAF officials and representatives of both clubs several days ago.
The discussions focused on coordinating the logistical and operational requirements for the final, with Sundowns responsible for hosting the Algerian side and supporting the arrangements at the venue.
The South African club is expected to provide two training grounds with playing surfaces similar to that of the stadium where the match will take place. One facility will be made available to USM Alger, while the other will be reserved for the match officials. Both arrangements are scheduled to take effect three days before the final.
Sundowns will also be responsible for arranging accommodation for approximately 18 CAF officials involved in the match’s administration, including referees, observers, technical personnel and VAR officials.
CAF will handle accommodation for the remaining members of its delegation, with hotel arrangements in Pretoria or Johannesburg depending on the duties assigned to each official.
The governing body has further instructed Sundowns to provide transport for the visiting Algerian delegation. The requirements include a 50-seat bus, a car for the head of the delegation and a truck to carry equipment.
Ticket allocation and arrangements for USM Alger supporters
CAF has asked for tickets to be made available five days before the match, with specific provisions covering premium seating and the allocation for supporters of the Algerian club.
For the Very VIP (VVIP) section, 50% of the designated capacity is to be made available. The same proportion will apply to the VIP category, which has an allocation of 1,450 tickets.
Two private boxes, commonly known as skyboxes, will also be reserved for use on match day without charge to CAF.
USM Alger supporters will receive 5% of the stadium’s total capacity. Their designated seating areas will be located in the eastern stands at Loftus Stadium.
Under the agreed commercial arrangements, revenue generated from ticket sales will go to the account of Mamelodi Sundowns as the host club.
CAF, meanwhile, will be responsible for supplying the official match balls for the African Super Cup final.
The fixture will determine the continental champions in a meeting between Sundowns, who won the African Champions League, and USM Alger, the holders of the African Confederation Cup.
