Gambian referee Bakary Papa Gassama has been selected to officiate at the 2013 African Cup of Nations. Gassama, who will be 36 on the day of the final match of the tournament, has been included in a 38-man officials list released by the Confederation of African Football for the South Africa edition from the 19th of January to 10th February.

He is among the 12 Gambians listed as FIFA referees which include five referees and seven assistants. The CAF list, which is posted on the official site of the governing body of the continent's football, consists of 18 referees and 21 assistant referees. Most of those referees are regular participants in football competitions organised on the continent. They are expected to arrive in Johannesburg by January 15, to review some aspects, before the kick-off of the tourney.

It will be the second time that Gassama will referee at an Africa Cup of Nations having participated at the 2012 edition in Gabon and Equatorial Guinea. But the highest achievement of his refereeing career came last year when he refereed three matches at the London 2012 Summer Olympics.

Gassama was also the fourth official in the final match of the men's football between Mexico and Brazil. He is now among the top 10 elite referees in Africa at the moment and among the best five to officiate the Brazil World Cup in 2014.

Listed below are the selected referees:

-Haimoudi Djamel Algeria; -Badara Diatta Senegal; -Jedidi Slim Tunisia; -Doue Noumandiez Desire (Cote d\'Ivoire)

-Gassama Bakary Papa (Gambia) -Alioum Neant (Cameroon) -Bennett Daniel Frazer (South Africa) -El Ahrach Bouchaib (Morocco) -Mohamed Benouza (Algeria) -Coulibaly Koman (Mali) -Grisha Ghead (Egypt) -Seechurn Rajindraparsad Mauritius)

-Nampiandraza Hamada El Moussa (Madagascar) -Sikazwe Janny (Zambia)

-Otogo-Castane Eric Arnaud (Gabon) -Kirwa Sylvester (Kenya) -Lemghaifry Aly (Mauritania) -Camille Bernard (Seychelles)

Assistant Referees:

-Menkouande Evarist (Cameroon) -Hassani Bechir (Tunisia) -Achik Redouane Morocco) -Yeo Songuifolo (Cote d\'Ivoire) -Camara Djibril (Senegal) -Ogbamariam W. Angesom (Eritrea) -Edibe Peter Elgam (Nigeria) -Birumushahu Jean-Claude (Burundi) -Kabanda Felicien (Rwanda) -Range Aden Marwa (Kenya) -Etchiali Abdelhak (Algeria) -Siwela Zakhele Thusi (South Africa) -Diarra Balla (Mali)

-El Hadji Malick Samba (Senegal) -Hmila Anouar (Tunisia) -Salifu Malik Alidu (Ghana) -Vinga Theophile (Gabon) -Moussa Yanoussa (Cameroon) -Ahmed Ali Waleed (Sudan) -Dos Santos Jerson Emiliano (Angola) -Marengula Arsenio Chadreque (Mozambique).