Victor Gomes of South Africa will be the man of the whistle when record champions Egypt take on Senegal in the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) final at the Olembe Stadium in Yaounde, Cameroon on Sunday.

The South African has so far been in charge of three matches at the 33rd edition of the continental championship in which he has been awarded two penalties, 11 yellow cards and no red card at all despite the card being popular among his peers at the tournament.

The 39-year-old referee will have his compatriot Zakhele Siwela and Souru Phatsoane of Lesotho as his assistants in the match that promises to be a classic.

DRC’s Jean-Jacques Ndala and Adil Zourak will take up the fourth official and video assistant referee (VAR) roles to complete the decisive pentagon.

Senegal who are yet to win an AFCON title will be gracing the final for the third time, having lost 2002 final to Cameroon and 2019 final to Egypt.

Lions of Teranga forward Sadio Mane has amplified his desire to win the trophy for his head coach Aliou Cisse who he believes has always been on the receiving end despite putting in a good shift for his country.

“We would like to win this for him and our country because he deserves it after everything he went through as a player for Senegal and now as the coach. It will be a great reward for everything he has given to his country,” Mane said after their 3-1 semifinal win over Burkina Faso on Wednesday.

Egypt who beat hosts Cameroon 3-1 on post-match penalties after a 0-0 in regulation and extra time will be seeking a record-extending eighth AFCON title but will have to do so without head coach Carlos Queiroz who was sent off against Cameroon.