African football returns to center stage this Friday, 9 January, with the first two quarter-finals of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON). Senegal have already secured a place in the semi-finals after a 1–0 win over Mali at the Grand Stade de Tanger.
Attention, however, is primarily focused on the second match, Morocco vs. Cameroon at 20:00 in Rabat, for two reasons: the kingdom is considered the leading favorite to lift the trophy according to Opta, and a controversy with political undertones has erupted after the Confederation of African Football (CAF) decided to sideline an Algerian referee at the eleventh hour.
Morocco appears so determined to chase the trophy—its only AFCON title dating back to 1976—that it has resorted to the same tactics it uses in diplomacy and business: unlimited lobbying (sometimes with painful backlash).
Initially, Egyptian official Amin Mohamed Omar was appointed as the referee, with Algerian Mustapha Ghorbal assigned to oversee the Video Assistant Referee (VAR). Then came the twist: the body in charge of African football reversed its decision on the eve of the match following vehement protests from Rabat…
It is easy to guess the reason behind all the uproar: the old, recurring suspicion that an Egyptian referee might not be impartial—considered “even worse” in the case of an Algerian official because of tensions between Rabat and Algiers. Unfortunately, that is still where things stand.
The president of the Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF), Fouzi Lekjaa, reportedly vetoed any Algerian involvement in officiating—even from behind the VAR screens—prompting CAF to yield.
Mauritanian referee Dahane Beida will now take charge of the match.
Had Cameroon adopted the same mindset reflected by Mr. Lekjaa, it could have objected as well, citing the “very special ties” between Nouakchott and Rabat.
One can go very far with assumptions of bias and suspicions of “favoritism”. The only loser, in the end, is the beauty of the sport.
In the final outcome, CAF removed Ghorbal from the VAR booth and handed the role to Ghanaian official Daniel Laryea.
Worse still, according to writer Romain Molina, the last-minute change was made at the request of the Moroccan federation without the Cameroonian Football Federation (Fécafoot) being informed…
So far, its president—former FC Barcelona star Samuel Eto’o—has not said a word.
But he can be expected to make plenty of noise if a scandal erupts.
A scandal similar to the one that accompanied Morocco’s round-of-16 match against Tanzania.
It was hard to ignore the refereeing “push”, notably a penalty that was not awarded in the final minutes—one that could have proved extremely costly for Walid Regragui’s side.
African football has not rid itself of its demons, as in the era of the late Issa Hayatou. Missteps continue to punctuate competitions, and suspicion remains ever-present—over everything and everyone, and largely for good reason.
As for the disputes between Morocco and Algeria, scores are still being settled on and off the pitch.
This was evident during AFCON 2024 and, in the same year, in the CAF Confederation Cup semi-final, when RS Berkane played on Algerian soil wearing a jersey featuring a map of the kingdom that included Western Sahara.
A supreme provocation in the eyes of the Algerian authorities, the foremost backers of Sahrawi independence activists. And CAF—once again—sided with Rabat…
From there, it is only a short step to claim that the African governing body has been infiltrated by a Moroccan agenda—on top of other problems that continue to plague African football: endemic corruption, abuses, mismanagement and embezzlement.
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