Coffi Codjia – Football Referee
Born in 1967, Coffi Codjia has defiled all the odds and has risen through the ranks to become a FIFA World Cup referee. He officiated the World Cup in 2002 and 2006, the FIFA Confederations Cup in 1999 and 2003 and the African Cup of Nations in 2000, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2010 in which he was the referee for the final.
Codjia was indefinitely suspended by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) for not taking action against Algeria’s Fawzi Chaouchi, who appeared to head-butt him in a semi-final of 2010 African Cup of Nations semi-final game against Egypt. Chaouchi, who was later sent off for a second bookable offence, received a three-match ban by CAF for the headbutt.
