Head of Caf's refereeing department sacked after Morocco complain about Wafcon final

NIGERIA'S recent victory over Morocco in the final of the Women's African Cup of Nations has led to the dismissal of the director of refereeing of the Confederation of African Football (Caf) Désiré Noumandiez Doué following a complaint by the Moroccans.

Last Saturday, Nigeria's Super Falcons came from 0-2 down to defeat hosts Morocco 3-2 in the Wafcon final at the Olympic Stadium in Rabat. However, after the final whistle was blown, the Moroccans complained bitterly because the referee overturned a penalty awarded to the Atlas Lionesses in the second half after video assistant referee (Var) dismissed it.

Feeling aggrieved about the decision, the Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF) wrote to Caf making a formal complaint. It now appears that Caf has responded to the complaint by dismissing Mr Doué after the Moroccans alleged critical officiating errors during the dramatic final in Rabat.

Although Me Doué did not officiate the match himself, his responsibility for referee appointments has come under scrutiny. Saturday's final was officiated by Namibia’s Antsino Twanyanyukwa, supported by assistants from Rwanda and Senegal, with Rwanda’s Salima Mukansanga overseeing Var.

Controversy erupted after the final whistle because Morocco were denied what they believed to be a clear penalty and were left incensed by what they termed an earlier soft penalty awarded to the Super Falcons. With the two decisions leading to the Super Falcons winning their 10th Wafcon title the FRMF submitted a video dossier to Caf, highlighting multiple contentious decisions that, in their view, unfairly shaped the outcome of the match.

Moroccan head coach Jorge Vilda, said: “We saw images that showed clear contact but the referee overturned her own call. It impacted our players psychologically. It was a massive blow.”

In response to the complaint, Caf acted and removed Mr Doué from his post as the boss of the continent's referees. His removal is said to be the first in a series of measures aimed at restoring faith in the confederation’s refereeing standards.

Nigeria, however, remains unperturbed by the refereeing saga after claiming a record-extending 10th Wafcon trophy. They will claim that the Super Falcons were on the wrong end of some atrocious refereeing decisions at the 2022 tournament also hosted by Morocco, especially in the semi finals where they were shown two red cards in a match against the hosts before losing the game on penalties.

Following their latest triumph, the Super Falcons have received a heroine's welcome back home in Nigeria, where among other things they have been awarded national honours by President Bola Tinubu. They have also been handed numerous cash gifts and three-bedroom apartments in recognition of their fete.