The 2023 Africa Cup of Nations was such a vibe; the on-field and off-field action earned so much acclaim it raised the bar for CAF and future hosts.
Players and teams were on a different level, but the biggest impact on the tournament like Arya Stark slaying the Whitewalker King in GOT, was the officiating.
The 68 match officials which included 26 referees (center referees), 30 assistant referees and 12 Video Assistant Referees (VAR), excelled.
Arsene Wenger, who heads Fifa’s Global Football Development, extolled the excellence of those officials and invariably raised to prominence, Désiré Noumandiez Doué the Head of Refereeing at CAF at the time.
A former FIFA badged Referee, Doué orchestrated the best display of officiating in a single tournament, only Michel Kuka Mbolamenti’s act in Morocco would match that dedication.
However, Doué has since been removed from the role, and under the most controversial circumstances, back in August 2025.
In short, since that unpopular decision, the high standards in officiating at the highest levels of CAF flagship competitions has been eroded.
At the ongoing AFCON 2025, cases involving alleged tampering, vested interests and biased officiating have made the headlines and casts dark doubts of fair officiating as the tournament enters its crucial stages.
Mauritani’s Dahane Beida subpar performance in Morocco’s 2-0 victory against Cameroun in the quarter final, as well as the sudden replacement of Omar Abdulkadir Artan with Issa Sy as Center Referee of the Algeria vs Nigeria quarter-final match, among other instances have drawn criticism of a compromised Arbiter”s citadel at CAF.
It’s no surprise why there’s been a heightened scrutiny and concern following the choice of designated Referees for the Nigeria v Morocco semifinal.
The issue even prompted an official statement by the NFF President, Ibrahim Gusua allaying fears expressed by fans.
No doubt, all eyes will be on the teams in the final four, as the semifinal fixtures served up two mouthwatering clashes, but even more so, the keen attention of observers will be fixed on the officiating in Tangier and Rabat.
This backlash over officiating at the ongoing AFCON may not force an immediate reaction from CAF, at least not until after the tournament, but clearly the situation demands that the Governing body acts in response to ensuring the reputation of match officials once celebrated is not tainted further.
From a footnote mention to (also referred to as Doué Noumandiez or Noumandiez Désiré Doué), the Ivorian Head of Refereeing (or Director of Refereeing), of his duties in late July/early August 2025.
