As Gilbert Cheruiyot prepares to officiate at the 2021 African Cup of Nations, he took time off to discuss his journey from Baringo to becoming a renowned match official globally and has now become a household name at major tournaments.Cheruiyot, a first assistant referee is one of the two Kenyans who will be taking charge of the biannual tournament in Cameroon. The other is University Don, Peter Kamaku Waweru who has been assigned VAR duties in Cameroon.The match official who hails from Baringo county admits it was not easy rising to the top. Football to start with is not a popular sport in his community which is renowned for athletics. He reveals that one of his major stumbling blocks were his own parents who were against the career path that he has chosen to pursue.“Coming from a community that likes athletics more than any other sport was one of the main challenges. My community considers playing football a waste of time. And I could receive a beating from my parents whenever they saw me play with my peers,” he told the People Daily.Patrick Vieira on AFCON: “I would never stop a player going to the competition. I believe that the competition needs to be more respected. That competition is as big as the European Championship.”— Alex Howell (@iamAlexHowell) December 24, 2021 His career started in 2008 and he has risen to become not only one of the best locally but also in the continent and globally.“Since 2008, I have developed from the lowest ranks through to the Kenyan Premier League and Confederation of African Football (Caf) matches,” he added.The 2021 African Cup of Nations will start on 9th January and will run up to 6th February. 24 teams will face off with the trophy, monetary gains, and pride at stake. Algeria are the title holders having bagged the trophy in 2019 during the showpiece that was staged in Egypt.
