فاس نيوز ميديا جريدة الكترونية جهوية تعنى بشؤون و أخبار جهة فاس مكناس – متجددة على مدار الساعة
Only months before the kick-off of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) Morocco 2025, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) has begun a major reform of its refereeing body. The dismissal of the Ivorian Noumandiez Désiré Doué, head of the Referees Commission, is the first step.
Criticism of the African refereeing corps and the unprecedented idea of enlisting non-African referees are reshaping the organization of the continental tournament. According to internal CAF sources, this decision was made Thursday morning during a farewell meeting for Noumandiez Désiré Doué on the occasion of the referees’ training camp for the African Nations Championship (CHAN) in Kenya, ending three years in a role deemed disappointing by several federations.
This follows a series of complaints regarding the quality of African referees in recent youth, women’s, and World Cup qualification competitions. The latest complaint came from Morocco over the referee of the AFCON women’s final, which Morocco lost to Nigeria.
New Direction for African Referees
The CAF Executive Committee is expected to confirm the appointment of a new director for the referees commission. Among the candidates considered are several renowned referees: Gambian Bakary Gassama, Moroccan Redouane Jiyed, and Egyptian Issam Abdel Fattah.
Reorganizations are also planned in Central and West Africa zones, aiming to restore the credibility of African refereeing before the tournament’s opening on December 21, 2025.
Foreign Referees for AFCON 2025?
The most surprising development is a novel project considering the use of foreign referees, notably Europeans and South Americans, to officiate at the upcoming Africa Cup. While still under study, this measure is taken seriously in response to complaints from multiple African federations frustrated by repeated refereeing errors during major continental competitions.
This approach aims to guarantee a high level of impartiality and technical rigor, ensuring a controversy-free competition regarding refereeing.
Mixed Performances in Recent Evaluations
Evaluations conducted by the FIFA Referees Commission during the recent Club World Cup in the US highlight the urgent need for reforms. While some African referees performed well, such as Mauritanian Dahane Beida and Algerian Mustapha Ghorbal, others like Libyan Mutaz Shalmani and Senegalese Issa Sy received negative reports, putting their AFCON participation in doubt.
With these decisive measures, CAF aims to elevate the stature of its premier competition amid strong public expectations and media pressure. Morocco, hosting AFCON for the first time since 1988, is stepping up preparations to deliver a landmark edition in terms of sports, organization, and diplomacy.
