RWANDA’S top referee Celestin Ntagungira a.k.a Abega will not officiate at this year’s Fifa U-17 World Cup slated for October 24-November 15 in Abuja, Nigeria. After missing a recent referees’ fitness test in Egypt, Ntagungira said that he had blown up his chances officiating at the junior world championship. “I couldn’t go to Egypt because I was still nursing a leg injury which I sustained officiating in a recent World Cup qualifier between Ivory Coast and Burkina Faso,” Ntagungira said. Ntagungira however believes that failure to take part in the Fifa U-17 World Cup will not hinder his chances of taking part in next year’s World Cup. “I still have high hopes of officiating at next year’s CAN and World Cup because I have been invited to another referees course early next month,” the 40-year-old continued. Last year, Abegga was one of three African referees chosen to officiate at the Fifa Club World Championship which was held in Yokohama, Japan. The others were Evariste Menkouande (Cameroon) and centre referee Coffi Codja (Benin). Ntagungira started refereeing in 1997 but only made his international debut in 2001. He has since officiated at the 2006 and 2008 Africa Nations Cup and 2006 World Cup. Ends
