The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has officially announced the end of the refereeing dispute caused by some decisions between Morocco and Senegal in the 2025 African Cup of Nations final. Congolese referee Jean-Jacques Ndala was acquitted of responsibility and influential arbitration errors.
In an official statement, the CAF Referees Committee confirmed that referee Ndala had not committed any offense requiring liability or punishment, noting that all his decisions were in full accordance with recognized competition law and the continent’s high arbitration standards.
The committee explained that the investigation included a comprehensive and accurate analysis of all controversial cases using the latest review technology (VAR), in addition to the report of an expert referee observer, and concluded that there were no errors or violations that affected the integrity of the match or the result.
Congolese referee Jean-Jacques Ndara officiated at the final match between the champion Senegal team and hosts Morocco on January 18 at the Prince Moulay Abdullah Stadium in Rabat, which ended with Senegal winning 1-0.
In this match, a controversial incident occurred near the end of the match. For example, a late push inside the penalty area led to a Senegal goal being canceled, and a light touch on a Moroccan player around 96 minutes into stoppage time led to a controversial penalty being awarded to Morocco, which caused strong protests from the Senegalese players and led to a suspension and partial withdrawal before the match was over.
These decisions sparked a wave of widespread criticism, particularly from the Senegalese side, with FIFA president Gianni Infantino stepping in to express dissatisfaction with the actions of some players and fans, and other parties demanding a thorough investigation.
Meanwhile, the Congolese Football Federation had hailed Ndala’s performance under pressure as “an outstanding professional” from the start, as CAF took the final decision to acquit the referee after imposing financial and administrative sanctions on the Senegalese and Moroccan federations. Due to riots and protests outside the stadium.
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has officially announced that it will close the record of the officiating dispute caused by some decisions between Morocco and Senegal in the 2025 African Cup of Nations final after exonerating Congolese referee Jean-Jacques Ndala of any responsibility or gross miscarriage of justice.
In an official statement, the CAF Referees Committee confirmed that referee Ndala committed no offense worthy of liability or punishment, noting that all his decisions were fully in line with recognized competition law and the continent’s high refereeing standards.
The commission said its investigation included a comprehensive and thorough analysis of all controversial cases using the latest review techniques (VAR), along with reports from expert referee observers, and concluded that there were no errors or violations that affected the integrity of the match or the result.
Referee Jean-Jacques N’Dala refereed the final match between the champion Senegal team and hosts Morocco, which was held on January 18 at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat, with Senegal winning by one goal.
The match featured controversial incidents, including Senegal’s goal being ruled out due to pushing in the penalty area in the final minute, and Morocco being awarded a controversial penalty for lightly touching a Moroccan player around 96 minutes into stoppage time. This prompted strong protests from the Senegalese players, leading to a temporary suspension and a brief partial withdrawal before the match resumed.
These decisions sparked a wave of widespread criticism, particularly from the Senegalese side, with FIFA president Gianni Infantino intervening to express dissatisfaction with the actions of some players and fans, while other parties called for a thorough investigation.
In contrast, the Congolese Football Federation had praised N’Dala’s performance from the beginning, calling him an “outstanding professional” under pressure, following CAF’s final decision to lift the referee’s suspension after imposing financial and administrative fines on the Senegalese and Moroccan federations for riots and protests outside the stadium.
