The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has appointed a strong Kenyan officiating team for the 2026-2027 CAF Champions League preliminary-round second leg between Sudanese giants Al Hilal and Burundi’s Aigle Noir.Download our Mozzart Sport App for more newsDickens Mimisa Nyagrowa has been appointed as the centre referee, with Samuel Kuria Mwangi and Boniface Karanja Nduta named as assistant referees. Edwin Ouma Mangoli will serve as the fourth official, while Rwanda’s Sekama Abdul has been appointed as the match commissioner.##NAJAVA_MECA_9928321##Mimisa will lead the Kenyan team and brings considerable international experience to the assignment. He was part of CAF’s Video Match Officials (VMO) team at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco, where he worked on the VAR system. He was also selected as a centre referee for the 2025 African Nations Championship (CHAN) and was among the 14 centre referees appointed for the 2025 CAF U-20 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt.STARS ABROAD: Kenyan forward nets brace in England as Abuya skippers Yanga to big winAt home, Mimisa has officiated some of Kenya’s biggest matches, including the Mashemeji Derby between Gor Mahia and AFC Leopards. He has also handled high-profile regional fixtures, including the Muungano Cup clash between Tanzanian giants Yanga and Simba in Zanzibar.Yanga's Duke Abuya opens up on three side hustles outside of footballMwangi, a FIFA international assistant referee since 2019, is another experienced member of the team. He was among the 22 assistant referees selected for CHAN 2025, which was co-hosted by Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, following a CAF training and evaluation camp in Cairo, Egypt. He has also retained his place on Kenya’s 2026 CAF/FIFA international match officials list.Karanja, a FIFA assistant referee since 2023, was named Assistant Referee of the Season for the 2025-2026 FKF Premier League at the league’s gala awards in June. His appointment adds further experience to the officiating team.TACTICAL ANALYSIS: AFC Leopards smart business in transfer market that solved biggest tactical flawMangoli represents a rising generation of Kenyan international officials. He earned his FIFA international badge for 2026 and was recently among five Kenyan officials selected to attend the CAF New FIFA Referees Course in Cairo. He will now take up his first major continental assignment as fourth official in this fixture.The Al Hilal-Aigle Noir match will be played at Amahoro Stadium in Kigali on Saturday,12 September, with kick-off scheduled for 6 PM.
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