Orlando Pirates' coach, Roger de Sa, does not believe that the Moroccan referee who will officiate Saturday’s CAF Champions League match against Esperance will have any influence on the outcome of the match.

This comes after the Confederation of African Football (CAF) announced that referee El Ahrach Bouchaib will officiate the semi-final first leg match between the two teams.

View: The latest CAF Champions League fixtures

Bouchaib will be assisted by fellow Moroccan referees Lahmidi Mohamed and Filali Mouhib Abdallah, while Mabrouk Mounir, who is also from Morocco, will be the fourth official.

Read: Morocco Ref To Officiate Bucs Clash

“The North African referees have been amazingly good especially during the group stages. I hope that the officials that were selected for this tie, will also handle the game well,” De Sa told the Siya crew.

“But I’m not really worried about the officials because this is the knockout stage and everyone is watching the officials,” added De Sa.

Meanwhile, De Sa has welcomed the return of defender Thabo Matlaba to the squad.

“With Patrick (Phungwayo) now out for weeks, Thabo’s return to action is a major boost to us,” continued De Sa.

By Khaya Ndubane
Follow Khaya on Twitter: @Lakhandu