AFCON 2025: FIFA Launches Probe After Nigeria Match Sparks Refereeing Storm
- FIFA launched an investigation into refereeing during the AFCON quarter-final between Nigeria and Algeria
- Senegalese referee Issa Sy is under scrutiny over multiple contentious calls during the last eight clash
- The standard of the officiating continues to overshadow AFCON 2025, including the Morocco-Senegal final
FIFA’s Referees Committee has officially launched a probe into the officiating of the highly charged 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) quarter-final between Nigeria and Algeria.
The match ended in a 2-0 victory for the Super Eagles, who booked their place in the semi-finals.
Source: Getty Images
However, the Algerian Football Federation filed a formal complaint to FIFA, citing several contentious decisions that they believe unfairly influenced the outcome.
At the centre of the investigation is Senegalese referee Issa Sy, whose decisions during the match, including disciplinary calls and potential match-changing moments, are now under scrutiny.
Sources close to FIFA confirmed that the committee will review referee reports, video footage, and submissions from both federations to determine whether any decisions violated the rules or merited further disciplinary action.
This investigation highlights FIFA’s growing focus on accountability and transparency in officiating high-stakes international fixtures, especially in the AFCON.
Refereeing incident mars Nigeria’s victory
Nigeria advanced to the semi-finals following a well-fought 2-0 quarter-final win, but the victory has been marred by claims of inconsistent refereeing.
Algeria, historically a competitive AFCON side, argued that key incidents in the match could have changed the outcome had different calls been made.
The probe places unprecedented pressure on Sy, who now faces global scrutiny from officials and football analysts alike, which could affect his call-up to the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Source: Getty Images
There was also more officiating chaos in the semi-final clash between Morocco vs Nigeria and the Egypt vs Senegal clashes, as players were aggrieved at full-time with the match referees.
The incident has sparked wider discussions about refereeing standards in African tournaments and whether more technological interventions, such as VAR reviews, could prevent future disputes.
Officiating drama continues at AFCON final
The controversy over poor officiating did not end with the Nigeria-Algeria match.
AFCON 2025’s final between Morocco and Senegal was also rocked by refereeing decisions, according to beIN Sport.
A decisive penalty was awarded to the host following a shirt pull on Brahim Diaz in additional time during the crunch encounter in Rabat.
The decision prompted Senegal’s players to temporarily walk off the pitch in protest, halting the match for nearly ten minutes, as BBC Sport reported.
Despite the drama, the Teranga Lions' goalkeeper Edouard Mendy saved Díaz’s Panenka-style penalty, giving them a chance to regain momentum.
Senegal later scored the go-ahead goal during extra time, securing a tense 1-0 victory and claiming their second-ever AFCON trophy in front of a distraught Moroccan crowd.
Morocco hit with major CAF sanction
Legit.ng also reported that the Confederation of African Football (CAF) took action against Moroccan supporters following an incident during the third-place play-off between Egypt and Nigeria.
During the pre-match formalities, sections of the crowd booed the Egyptian national anthem, an act that CAF condemned as a breach of the tournament’s rules on sportsmanship and respect.
Proofreading by Bruce Douglas, copy editor at Legit.ng.
Source: Legit.ng
