Why Caf dropped referee Charles Masembe from the France ’98 list

Although the Uganda Cranes failed miserably in their attempt to qualify for the 1998 Fifa World Cup, there was every reason for Ugandan fans to look forward to it.

Their own, referee Charles Masembe was in line to become the first Ugandan referee, to officiate at the World Cup. You see, it was in the 1970s, that Masembe’s star started to rise; first as a footballer, before becoming a coach in the 1980s.

But before long, he started refereeing. That was in 1983. By 1985, Masembe had become a top referee, handling top local games between Express, SC Villa and KCCA FC. In fact, it did not come as a surprise when Masembe earned a Fifa badge in 1986, and started officiating in both Caf and Fifa engagements.

Masembe had great knowledge about the rules of the game, and also officiated with charisma and confidence. In 1994, Masembe was twice hired by the Egypt FA to handle a knock-out final between local rivals Al-Ahly and Zamalek, which he executed well.

Masembe went ahead to officiate the 1995 Cup final between the aforementioned teams. That was the beginning of great things to come. For example, Masembe, who was among the referees selected to handle the Afcon tournament in Tunisia, in 1994, he officiated the semi-final clash between Zambia and Malawi.

This was followed by another appointment, which saw Masembe officiate at the under-20 Fifa World Cup in 1995. So, by the time the 1996 Afcon in South Africa was happening, it was not a surprise that Masembe would be at the centre of matters.

Masembe was a superstar in South Africa and because of his impressive performance, he was in charge of the final between South Africa and Tunisia. By this time, Masembe was undoubtedly the best African referee.

It was a given that he would be heading to Burkina Faso for the 1998 Afcon. Meanwhile, the World Cup was on the horizon, too, and no doubt, the anticipation was sky-high as far as Masembe was concerned. For many of us in the football circles had that in mind.

MASEMBE FOR FRANCE ‘98

In January 1998, Masembe’s name appeared on the provisional list of referees who were selected to officiate in the 1998 Fifa World Cup. For a number of Ugandan football fans, excitement was in the air; Uganda would have its first referee at the World Cup.

However, it was not the first time for a Ugandan referee to feature on the provisional list of referees to the World Cup. In 1981, Keith Bukenya became the first Uganda referee to be selected for a world cup tournament but unfortunately the no-nonsense referee died in November 1981 just a few months before the 1982 tournament held in Spain.

But history has a weird way of repeating itself. During the Afcon in Burkina Faso, Masembe was assigned to be in charge of the semi-final clash between South Africa and DR Congo. It was a very tense clash, that went all the way to extra-time.

South Africa won the game 2-1. Yet, because of the extended time-wasting and stoppages, due to the incessant fouling by the players in that game, Masembe added nine minutes of play. This annoyed Caf boss, then, Issa Hayatou.

He and his other colleagues in Caf ’s top management, could not get to the second semi-final between Burkina Faso and Egypt in time because of the fact that the first semi-final delayed to end.

CAF’S BOMBSHELL

Immediately after the tournament, Farah Addo (head of Caf referees technical committee) was heard on BBC saying that referee Masembe [Charles] had been dropped from the Fifa referees provisional list set to officiate in the 1998 Fifa World Cup.

This did not shock Masembe only but also the Ugandan football fraternity too. Addo cited the nine added minutes as one of the reasons of dropping the Ugandan referee plus other issues which he declined to mention.

For most Ugandans, they were left devastated. Masembe was left speechless. But a few days later, he pointed to `football politics in Caf ’ which ruined his future. Then, National Council of Sports General Secretary, Abbey Lutaya referred to this as Caf `arrogance and greed, as the reason for Masembe being dropped.

Lutaya wondered why the referee who officiated the game between Argentina and England was not banned when Argentina Diego Maradona scored a goal using his hand? However, later on, Addo explained that Masembe had poorly handled (without giving clear details) the semi-final game between South Africa and DRC.

Due to that, Caf could not risk sending an unfit individual to the World Cup. It did not take long before Masembe called time on his refereeing career, thereafter the 1998 World Cup disappointment. He retired in 1999.

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