Tunisian referee Slim Jdidi suspended over Burkina Faso red card

Tunisian referee Slim Jdidi has been suspended for his controversial handling of the Africa Cup of Nations semi-final between Ghana and Burkina Faso, the organisers said Thursday.

“We would have expected a better standard,” Confederation of African Football (CAF) secretary-general Hicham El Amrani told a media conference just hours after Burkina Faso lodged an official appeal against key player Jonathan Pitroipa’s red card in the semi-final win over Ghana on Wednesday.

“There is a meeting tomorrow (Friday) to discuss the Pitroipa incident,” El Amrani told reporters.

The official said Pitroipa’s chances of playing in the final depend on the match report sent in by Jdidi…..Pitroipa, who has scored twice in the tournament, was sent off three minutes from the end of extra time on Wednesday for diving when, in fact, he had clearly been knocked to the ground after tangling with an opponent.