BEST FOOTBALL REFEREE PAPA GASSAMA MADE IT THREE IN A ROW

Gambia (Football) Gambia's very own Bakary Papa Gassama last night put the country on the map once again when he was crowned Africa's best referee award for the third time in a row.

Sponsored by Glo, a leading company in the continent, Papa is the first ever Gambian to win the trophy running and first African to win it three times in a row when he took to the stage in Abuja Nigeria, where the Caf award was stage.
The 37-year-old forced a re-writing of the history books when he became the first Gambian to officiate a World Cup group game in 2014.
 

Also on his ever-growing CV, Papa became the first African arbiter to take charge of a game in the Qatari Stars' League.
November last year, he was the man trusted to steer the Caf Champions League final between eventual winners Mamelodi Sundowns and Zamalek.
In a country whose every sports sector appears gripped by failure owing to lack of funding, in-fighting, bickering at administrative level, Papa remains the shining light in the face of these hitches.
 

All sort of dirt has been thrown on his path ranging from collecting bribes to fixing games by detractors but comes out of it unscathed and unblemished each time.
African referees, this day and age have become glued to picking crumbs from rich clubs to fix games and Papa is one of few referees to tower over these vices.
Gassama first won the gong in 2014 following it up with retention of the medal last year and last night, the Gambian born saw off Egypt’s Grishea Gehead and Senegal’s Malang Diedhiou to realise his dream of a hat trick.