Foot: L'arbitrage, l'autre perdant de la CAN-2025
The 2025 Africa Cup of Nations took place in an atmosphere of widespread suspicion towards referees, who were accused throughout the tournament of favouring Morocco, the host country, with the situation reaching a fever pitch in the final which descended into chaos following controversial decisions.
The most striking image of this Africa Cup of Nations will remain that of the Senegalese players leaving the pitch after the penalty awarded to Morocco at the very end of regulation time, following a disallowed goal for the Lions of Teranga. A radical reaction, a sign of the prevailing nervousness and the mistrust that officials faced for three weeks.
Criticism of referees is a classic at the AFCON, but never before had these grievances taken such a turn, going so far as to spoil the final and tarnish the image of an event whose organization had been impeccable until then.
"From the beginning, it has been unhealthy," lamented Morocco coach Walid Regragui after the Moroccans' defeat in front of their home crowd (1-0 aet), referring to the oppressive atmosphere that accompanied each of his team's outings.
Beyond the pressure exerted by Moroccan supporters during the Atlas Lions' matches, the limited number of seats allocated to the opponents of the host nation, or certain unsportsmanlike behaviors - such as ball boys trying to snatch goalkeeper Edouard Mendy's towel from a Senegalese player - the reasons for tension between players and referees were numerous.
The Morocco-Cameroon quarter-final (2-0) sparked outrage among Cameroonians, who criticized the referee for failing to award a penalty after a foul on Bryan Mbeumo in the box. The president of the Cameroonian Football Federation and former Indomitable Lions star Samuel Eto'o received a four-match suspension "for misconduct."
"Many want to believe or make people believe that we have advantages in terms of the refereeing body. We are the team to beat so we will try to find all the good reasons to say that Morocco is favored," replied Regragui.
The Morocco-Nigeria semi-final was also not spared from controversy.
"The referee was appalling. He made some really bad decisions and it's really painful to see referees like that in a big game," said Super Eagles midfielder Bright Osayi-Samuel.
- Overwhelmed referee -
But it is above all the management of the final by Jean-Jacques Ndala Ngambo that is being singled out, the Congolese referee having seemed totally overwhelmed by the situation, and lacking the authority to manage this crisis.
Regarding the goal disallowed for Senegal due to a foul on PSG defender Achraf Hakimi, there was indeed "a clash, but it was very slight," said former French international referee Bruno Derrien, interviewed by AFP.
"I think he whistles too quickly. If he had let play continue without penalizing that foul, the goal would probably have been checked by VAR and likely allowed," he adds.
The penalty awarded to Morocco after contact between Brahim Diaz and Senegalese defender El Hadji Malick Diouf is also questionable, adds the former referee, and followed a "micro-foul" when the "tension" was "enormous".
Surrounded by the players and staff of both teams, in an atmosphere made deafening by the whistles of the Moroccan spectators, did Jean-Jacques Ndala Ngambo have the necessary composure when consulting the VAR screen?
His decision provoked the fury of the Senegalese, some of whom left the field in protest, interrupting the game for about twenty minutes.
To the Moroccans' credit, the Congolese referee was also too passive during this bizarre episode. However, the Laws of the Game as defined by the IFAB stipulate that "a player must be cautioned if he delays the restart of play" or if he "deliberately leaves the field without the referee's permission." This could have resulted in the expulsion of several Senegalese players, who were already on yellow cards.
"It was surreal. If the Senegalese hadn't come back onto the field, I think the referee would have ended the match, with sanctions against Senegal afterwards," says Bruno Derrien.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino on Monday condemned "the behavior of some Senegalese players and members of the coaching staff" and called on the Confederation of African Football (CAF) to take "appropriate measures." The CAF subsequently indicated that it "will refer the matter to the competent authorities so that appropriate measures can be taken against those found guilty."
Commentaires (10)
QUE LA FEDERATION SENEGALAISE FASSE LA MÊME CHOSE SANS PERDRE DE TEMPS
CAR IL EXISTE BEAUCOUPS DE CHOSES A DENONCER AUSSI PAR LA FEDERATION SENEGALAISE DE FOOTBALL, SUR DES CHOSES QUI SE SONT DÉROULÉES AVANT PENDANT ET APRÈS LE MATCH
ILS ATTENDENT LA SAISINE DU MAROC POUR REAGIR.
Mais , la JUSTICE DIVINE a fini par tranché en FAVEUR des meilleurs joueurs de la C A N , qui sont les BRAVES et ROBUSTES DJAMBARS PATRIOTES LIONS de la TÉRANGA SÉNÉGALAISE . Encore nos FÉLICITATIONS et , BRAVOOO , à nos grandes FIERTÉS et VAINQUEURS .
Voilà pourquoi 2/3 des arbitres iront à l'enfer.
C'est des paroles divines
Ceux qui savent mais ne font pas bien leur job seront cuits
Ceux qui ne savent pas et ne font pas bien leur job seront Aussi cuits.
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