CAF Sacks Referees Chief Following Morocco’s Protest Over Nigeria’s WAFCON Win

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has reportedly sacked its Director of Refereeing, Désiré Noumandiez Doué, following Morocco’s protest over alleged poor officiating in the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) final, where Nigeria claimed their 10th title.

Though Doué did not referee the match, he was responsible for selecting the officiating team, which is now under intense scrutiny. The final, held in Rabat, ended in a dramatic 3–2 comeback victory for Nigeria over hosts Morocco, who had initially led by two goals.

Morocco’s football federation (FRMF) lodged a formal protest, accusing match officials of “critical officiating errors.” The match was officiated by Namibia’s Antsino Twanyanyukwa, with assistants from Rwanda and Senegal. VAR was handled by Rwanda’s Salima Mukansanga.

FRMF submitted a video dossier to CAF, highlighting controversial calls, including a denied penalty for Morocco and what they viewed as a questionable penalty awarded to Nigeria. These decisions, they argued, significantly influenced the outcome.

Morocco’s head coach, Jorge Vilda, expressed disappointment after the match, telling ESPN: “We saw images that showed clear contact, but the referee overturned her own call. It impacted our players psychologically. It was a massive blow.”

CAF has not officially commented on Doué’s dismissal, but the timing strongly suggests it was a response to the growing criticism surrounding the WAFCON final.