Why a CAF chief has reportedly contacted the referee who will take charge of the Champions League semi-final second leg between Mamelodi Sundowns and Esperance Sportive de Tunis has seemingly been revealed.
Masandawana suffered a 1-0 defeat to their Tunisian opposition in the first leg last weekend, and with the return fixture set to be played on Friday night, vice-president of the organisation's Referees Committee, Victor Gomes, is said to have called for a mistake-free encounter.
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Senegalese referee Issa Sy will preside over the proceedings, and will be assisted by compatriots Djibril Camara and Noah Bangura, while the VAR officials on the night are Gabon's Pierre Ghislain Atcho and Diana Chikotesha of Zambia.
The other semi-final will see Al Ahly host TP Mazembe, with Kenyan referee Peter Kamako Waweru set to take charge of that match.
According to Egyptian newspaper Al Watan, via winwin Tunisia, Gomes contacted both Sy and Waweru to stress the importance of avoiding situations that could arise from officiating mistakes, and eventually blowing the final whistle without any controversy having occurred.
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He is also said to have urged the officials to avoid errors that could see any of the four competing teams suffer from a refereeing decision.
It is further claimed that Gomes requested that the pair "confirm" all of their decisions, to "focus" while out on the field, and to not be distracted by pressure that may emanate from the stands or the coaching staff on the sidelines.
Sundowns will be looking to overturn their first-leg deficit, and will be confident of their chances of success as the South African team have never lost both games against a single opponent in the knockout phase of the competition.
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Esperance, however, will be keen to halt the Brazilians by keeping them out, and are in good stead to do so. The Blood and Gold have not conceded a goal in each of their past seven games in the competition.
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