Latest news with #TotalEnergiesCAFU-17AfricaCupofNationsMorocco2025
CAF
09-04-2025
- Sport
- CAF
TotalEnergies CAF U-17 AFCON Referees Prepare for the Future
At the heart of the TotalEnergies CAF U-17 Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2025, a special initiative lit up the behind-the-scenes of the tournament: an open-door session for refereeing held at the Kahrama Centre in Casablanca. During two hours of training, the referees had the opportunity to fine-tune their skills under the watchful eye of Souleymane Waberi, CAF Vice-President and Chairman of the Youth Football Committee. On a pitch equipped with eight cameras and a control room dedicated to VAR, the session offered a deep dive into the meticulous work performed by officials ahead of the quarter-final. In a highly technical setting, reflecting the quality of infrastructure provided by Morocco, the 45 referees involved in the competition (including 10 VAR officials) gathered for a moment of sharing, demonstration, and refinement. The session was carefully divided into areas: one for physical recovery for referees who had officiated the previous day, another for assistant referees, and a third for VAR-specific work. The objectives were clear: to improve positioning, perfect decision-making in the penalty area — described as the most dangerous zone by Désiré Noumandiez Doué, Chairman of CAF's Referees Committee — and to enhance VAR review times, which are still sometimes considered too long. Preparing the Next Generation Today For Souleymane Waberi, this session fully embodies CAF's philosophy regarding youth football: creating an environment conducive to learning, expressing talent, and preparing for international competitions. 'When young people have pitches like this, it's a celebration,' he said after the first phase of the tournament, referring to the quality of the spectacle. 'Lots of goals are being scored — beautiful goals. It's great for the young players and for the development of our football in Africa.' The stakes are even higher this year, as the U-17 AFCON is a qualifying tournament for the FIFA U-17 World Cup, with, for the first time, 10 African teams expected to participate. For Désiré Noumandiez Doué, that means a rigorous selection process based on technical ability, youth, and the capacity to adapt to fast-paced and unpredictable matches: 'We prefer to have young referees in a youth setting. It helps them understand the game better, react quicker, and connect more easily with the players.' During this session, a practice match with a local team was included to simulate live match conditions, adjust assistant referees' viewing angles, work on real-time VAR procedures, and strengthen communication among all parts of the officiating team. 'We noticed some weaknesses in concentration and positioning. Women Referees: The Dawn of a New Era Among the 45 officials selected for this tournament, 13 are women — a first that symbolises the deep transformation of the African refereeing landscape. 'It's a strong signal to women's football,' says Doué. 'You've all seen how the women have performed on the different pitches. They're making their mark. Hats off to them.' Their presence is the result of a clear gender-focused approach, as well as years of dedicated work to give them confidence, tools, and responsibilities. 'It allows women to flourish more, without hesitation, especially in what has traditionally been a male-dominated environment,' Doué added. One inspiring figure is Senegalese referee Tabara Mbodji, who represents this rising generation. 'The U-17 Africa Cup of Nations is a well-structured competition where we get to use VAR in a practical setting. You can feel that CAF believes in us. It pushes us to aim higher, to target the top competitions.' For Tabara, the goal is clear: 'I want to prove that we belong — not just in Africa but globally.' Female participation is no longer just a quota — it's becoming a driving force for transformation. At the Casablanca workshops, the women referees received the same feedback, participated in the same drills, and analysed the same VAR sequences as their male counterparts. Eyes on the Future This open-door day in Casablanca showcased the evolution underway in African refereeing. It is no longer afraid to innovate, it trusts in youth, includes women as key players in its development, and prepares diligently to meet the demands of high-level football. With Morocco's top-tier infrastructure — praised by Waberi as 'one of the countries this year to have developed high-quality facilities' — the U-17 AFCON is becoming an open-air laboratory of excellence. In this spirit, African refereeing is equipping itself to support the rise of youth football on the continent and to lay the foundations for a more prominent presence on the global stage. As Waberi summed it up: 'This year, Africa is going far — very far. And refereeing must go with it.'
CAF
08-04-2025
- Sport
- CAF
Tunisia secure knockout qualification and FIFA U-17 World Cup spot with win over The Gambia
Tunisia secured their place in the knockout stages of the TotalEnergies CAF U-17 Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2025 with their second Group C win, following a narrow 2-1 win over The Gambia on Monday evening The tightly contested encounter was decided by very fine margins, with both sides having an equal share amount of possession and potential to secure all three points. It was however the North Africans who emerged victorious thanks to a goal in both halves of the match by Yassine Ben Mahmoud and Anisse Saide to clinch the important victory that sees them advance to the next round of the competition, while also carrying their ticket to the FIFA U-17 World Cup. The Gambia, who still had a fighting chance of qualifying after Match Day 3 of the competition will now look to console themselves with a ticket to the FIFA U-17 World Cup as they prepare for the play-offs. Coming into the clash at the back of a commanding 5-1 win over debutants Somalia, The Gambia looked to put up a strong performance against the Tunisians who unsettled them with a goal just before the break thanks to a Yassine Ben Mahmoud strike. The Gambia kept their hopes alive and wasted no time in levelling matters immediately after the break with Bisenty Mendy drawing level. The two sides continued the search for the all-important goal that would send them to the next round and the FIFA U-17 World Cup. It was in the 57th minute that Anisse Saidi made it 2-1 in favour of the Tunisians with a goal that they defended to the very end to secure passage into the next round of the competition, as The Gambia await the play-offs for a place in the FIFA U-17 World Cup.
CAF
17-02-2025
- Sport
- CAF
UNIFFAC U-17 Qualifiers: Cameroon start strong, DR Congo triumph over Gabon
Cameroon inflicted a heavy defeat on the Central African Republic (CAR) with a 9-0 scoreline in the opening match of the UNIFFAC Qualifiers of the TotalEnergies CAF U-17 CAF Africa Cup of Nations on Sunday, 16 February in Douala. The DR Congo also started with a solid 3-1 win against Gabon. In their commanding win over CAR, Franck Mafany Luma, particularly stood with a hat-trick (2nd, 4th, 35th). Abraham Njanja Kolly (7th, 20th), Noel Doumbogo (13th, 64th) each scored a brace, while the other goal for Cameroon was netted by Etoundi Eyen just before halftime. In the second match of the day, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) overcame Gabon 3-1. Wazafa Titi scored a hat-trick (13th, 73rd, 90+2) to light up the match and was deservedly named the man of the match. Gabon's sole goal came from Noguy Nlemadielemmane in injury time of the first half (45+2). At the end of the first day, Cameroon is in first place with 3 points and a +9 goal difference, followed by DRC with 3 points and a +2 goal difference. Gabon is in 3rd place, and the Central African Republic is at the bottom with no points. Match Day 2 is scheduled for Wednesday, 19 February where Gabon will need a positive result against the host country to keep its qualification hopes alive. Likewise, the Central African Republic will be fighting for survival against the DRC. The UNIFFAC Qualifiers are played in a round-robin format and will see the top two finishers representing the Zone at the TotalEnergies CAF U-17 Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2025 between 30 March and 19 April 2025. The UNIFFAC champion will play in Group B alongside Burkina Faso, South Africa, and Egypt, while the runner-up will be in Group D with Mali, Angola, and Cote d'Ivoire.
CAF
06-02-2025
- Sport
- CAF
TotalEnergies CAF U-17 AFCON: UNIFFAC Zone teams enter the final stretch
Cameroon prepares to play host to the UNIFFAC U-17 tournament set to take place at Douala's Stade de la Réunification between 16 – 28 February 2025. The tournament will be crucial for the five participants, as it will serve as a qualifier to the TotalEnergies CAF U-17 Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2025. Five teams will compete in this tournament: Cameroon, Gabon, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Congo where only the top two finishers will earn a place in Morocco. The competition will be in a round-robin format, where each win will earn a team 3 points, a point for and draw and zero points for a loss. The TotalEnergies CAF U-17 AFCON will take place in Morocco between 30 March and 19 April 2025. UNIFFAC U-17 Tournament Match Schedule: 16/02/2025 13:00: Cameroon vs. DR Congo 16:00: Congo vs. Central African Republic 19/02/2025 13:00: Gabon vs. Congo 16:00: Central African Republic vs. Cameroon 22/02/2025 13:00: Congo vs. Cameroon 16:00: DR Congo vs. Gabon 25/02/2025 13:00: Central African Republic vs. DR Congo 16:00: Cameroon vs. Gabon 28/02/2025 13:00: Gabon vs. Central African Republic 16:00: DR Congo vs. Congo
