When Will CAF Injustices Towards Morocco Stop?

Morocco World

3 days ago

Antsino Twanyanyukwa made history the moment CAF selected her to officiate the WAFCON 2024 final. The Namibian referee, visibly overwhelmed, said: 'I didn't expect this at all. I'm still in shock. But with God, all things are possible.'
It was a major personal achievement and no doubt a proud moment for Namibian football. 'Personally, I believe I have the talent and the potential. They've seen what I can do, and now it's my opportunity to prove it; to show it on the pitch,' she said.
Namibia called her appointment historic. 'Her selection to referee such a high‑stakes match was a testament to her unwavering commitment and skill,' said Namibian Football Association (NFA) president Robert Shimooshili. 'Her journey is an encouragement to all young women referees in Namibia. With hard work and perseverance, they too can reach the pinnacle of the sport.'
Who's at fault?
And yet, in a match watched by millions across Africa, Twanyanyukwa delivered a performance that left Moroccan players stunned, fans enraged, and experts baffled. Her decisions – or rather blunders – turned what should've been a sporting fest into a refereeing farce.
In the 63rd minute, VAR awarded Nigeria a soft penalty, claiming Moroccan defender Nouhaila Benzina had handled the ball. But footage suggested it had struck near her side.
Esther Okoronkwo converted. The Atlas Lionesses protested, but the damage was done.
Minutes later came the real scandal. Nigeria's Oluwatosin Demehin blatantly handled the ball inside the area. Twanyanyukwa correctly pointed to the spot – then inexplicably reversed her decision after a VAR review. The footage shown to her on the VAR monitor was poor, unclear, and limited – a disgrace, frankly.
In Twanyanyukwa's defence, there have been suggestions that she may have been misled by the visual evidence presented during the review. Normally, the VAR team and replay operators review the incident first and select what they believe are the key angles. If they spot something unclear or potentially wrong, they ask the referee to check the footage on the pitchside monitor. The referee can then ask for other angles or slow motion if needed to make an informed decision.
The system gives access to many camera views, including split screens. But some critics say the referee wasn't shown the clearest angles in this case, which may have led her to overturn the correct decision.
Still, many have maintained that Twanyanyukwa should bear some of the blame because she had the right, when presented with inconclusive or poor footage, to stick to her initial call. Former referee Hicham Tiazi told Médias24: 'The referee should have stuck to her decision and awarded a penalty to Morocco.'
After the game, Morocco's coach Jorge Vilda couldn't hide his disbelief. 'We can't understand the decision made by the referee,' he told ESPN. 'She gave a penalty, but then the images we saw were not the same as those presented to the referee. The images were clear, we were sure she had to give a penalty.'
'There was a penalty that should have been, the referee had blown for it, but then [went] to VAR. We saw there was a hand, but the referee took it off us. That's what determined that we weren't able to celebrate this match – the penalty that was taken away from us.'
'The fact it wasn't given as a penalty had an immediate impact on the players. It had a psychological impact that shocked us; it was a massive hit to the players. It made it hard for us to come back … football was hard towards our team.'
Nothing has been done
But it's hardly the first time Moroccan football has been stitched up under CAF's watch.
In 2019, Wydad Casablanca walked off the pitch during the infamous CAF Champions League final against Espérance Tunis in Tunisia after VAR malfunctioned.
Said Naciri, Wydad's former president, called it a disaster: 'We were the victim of a scandal which destroyed all that had been done to develop football in Africa.' He also called for a fair investigation to save the image of football in Africa.
In 2022, Raja Casablanca slammed CAF officials during their Champions League quarter-final game with Al Ahly. The club accused referee Jean-Jacques Ndala and VAR official Mehdi Abdi Charef of 'a flagrant breach of the principles of equal opportunity and fair refereeing,' citing 'several unfair, ungrounded decisions… including awarding an imaginary penalty following deliberate tampering during VAR review and breaching the VAR rules.'
Again in the AFCON 2023 in Côte d'Ivoire, Morocco's national team suffered another refereeing mess in their Round of 16 defeat to South Africa. Former Moroccan referee Mohamed Moujah told Africa Soccer: 'The referee, unfortunately, deprived the Atlas Lions of a goal which would have completely changed the situation. It's scandalous.'
Captain Romain Saïss echoed that deep-seated frustration in a statement to Arryadia, a Moroccan sports TV channel: 'Even when we score goals, we have them unfairly refused by the refereeing body. Because this one needs to be explained to me.'
Back in Rabat, the FRMF has lodged an official protest over the WAFCON final. At the heart of it, the question of VAR manipulation and Morocco's role in the broadcast of wrong, unclear footage on the referee's screen.
Hassan Boutabssil, Executive Director at Arryadia TV, rejected rumours that Morocco's production team had manipulated footage to protect Nigeria.
'When the referee goes to VAR, the director has no power. The image goes directly to the VAR screen, and it's the VAR operator who selects the camera angles,' he told Radio Mars. 'At that moment, the TV director is a spectator like everyone else.'
'Those attacking the TV directors should learn how a broadcast works,' he added. 'The director doesn't choose which image appears in the VAR room. People need to stop speaking nonsense.'
Then came the sharpest jab at CAF's credibility: 'The intention was clear. There was a deliberate delay, and in the end, they showed an angle that didn't reveal anything. That reeks of bad faith.'
He added, 'The national broadcaster works at the highest standards, certified by CAF and FIFA. The final was directed by Khalid Jadid, one of the best in Africa. Had any of our TV directors influenced the result, there would be a statement from CAF and an investigation. But that's not what happened.'
As Morocco prepares to host the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations and co-host the 2030 FIFA World Cup, confidence in CAF's refereeing and VAR oversight is rapidly eroding.
Silence breeds suspicion
CAF has faced considerable backlash over the years for omitting many Atlas Lions from individual awards, despite their outstanding performances throughout various tournaments and competitions with club and country.
One glaring example came in December 2023 when Yassine Bounou – widely acclaimed for his brilliant performances at the 2022 Qatar World Cup – was left out of the Player of the Year shortlist. A year later, critics and analysts also expressed astonishment at the names featured in the CAF Award shorts for goalkeeper and player of the year categories.
Many questioned the fairness and transparency of the selection process and how a football player of Bounou's class and calibre was repeatedly denied the recognition he deserved.
Questions have been raised about potential biases with CAF being led by South African businessman Patrice Motsepe, with many suggesting that decisions are often influenced by regional favouritism.
This latest post-Wafcon drama is in addition to CAF's issuing of unclear positions on many occasions, including major controversy when CAF allowed a promotional video showing a divided map of Morocco, excluding its southern provinces in Western Sahara.
As discontent mounts, Moroccan fans and officials are calling on CAF to explain its decisions and restore credibility.