The President of the Confederation of African Football, Dr. Patrice Motsepe has reaffirmed the body’s commitment to improve the standard of officiating in its competitions.
Motsepe stated that CAF will continue to prioritize the training and welfare of referees as part of broader efforts to align African football with global standards.
He noted that while African referees are capable of matching their counterparts worldwide, consistent training and professional support remain essential to enhancing performance and overall match quality.
“There is a lot of work we have been doing to make sure that the referees are trained effectively because African referees are as good as the best in the world.
“We have to keep training them not just training them, we have to pay them well. We have got to encourage African referees; we made a lot of progress and I am told that we have to continue because they are certain issues that didn’t proceed as I have instructed so we will continue to professionalize our referees and VAR operators.
“I benefited immensely from the feedback that the CAF Chairman of the refereeing committees came to give the exco in the last meeting just after the AFCON in Morocco and we asked them lot of questions.
“Football fans all over the world and in Africa will have their own views about the performances of referees and VAR operators.”
Refereeing performances at the AFCON drew mixed reactions from fans and stakeholders, with both commendations and criticisms recorded in several high profile matches.
In the Round of 16 clash between Mali and Tunisia, Abongile Tom earned praise from some observers for what was described as a composed and authoritative display in a tense encounter that ended 2 to 1 in favor of Mali on penalties.
However, other officiating decisions sparked controversy.
Ghanaian referee Daniel Nii Laryea faced backlash from Nigerian players and supporters following his handling of the semi-final between Nigeria and Morocco, with accusations of poor and biased officiating.
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Similarly, Jean Jacques Ndala of DR Congo was criticized for losing control during the final between Morocco and Senegal, a match many described as chaotic.
Despite the different opinions CAF maintains that continuous training and improved welfare of match officials referees will remain central to raising the standard of officiating across African football.
