FIFA Takes Major Decision About AFCON 2025 Final Referee Ahead of 2026 World Cup
- FIFA has reportedly dropped Jean-Jacques Ndala Ngambo from officiating at the 2026 World Cup
- Ndala officiated the chaotic 2025 Africa Cup of Nations which has left lingering issues in African football
- The Congolese has escaped sanctions from the Confederation of African Football and continues his duties
FIFA has reportedly taken a drastic decision on the referee who officiated the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations final, which has sparked controversy in African football.
Jean-Jacques Ndala officiated the final match between Senegal and Morocco, which the Atlas Lions won thanks to Pape Gueye's strike in the extra time.
Source: Getty Images
The Congolese disallowed Senegal's legitimate goal minutes before awarding a penalty to Morocco, which prompted a walkout from the Teranga Lions.
FIFA drops AFCON 2025 final referee
FIFA has dropped Jean-Jacques Ndala and he will not officiate at the 2026 World Cup in USA, Mexico and Canada.
African football fans have criticised the Congolese official, but he escaped sanctions from the Confederation of African Football (CAF) and continues to officiate matches.
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Ndala was not the only high-profile African referee dropped for the tournament. Senegal’s Issa Sy and Mali’s Boubou Traoré were also dropped by FIFA.
Issa Sy officiated the controversial Nigeria vs Algeria quarter-final match at AFCON 2025 and was in the spotlight for a bizarre action during a CAF Champions League match.
Sy brought out his red card to act players after officiating the grudge match between Esperance of Tunisia and Al Ahly of Egypt, a move which sparked negative reactions.
Top African football nations, including Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya and Tanzania failed to make the cut, while Somalia and Mauritania produced World Cup referees.
Seven African referees earned callups for the tournament: Algeria’s Mustapha Ghorbal, Egypt's Amin Mohamed, Gabon's Pierre Atcho, Morocco's Jalal Jayed, Mauritania’s Dahane Beida, South Africa's Tom Abongile and Somalia’s Omar Artan.
South American nation Brazil has the most officials selected with nine and CBF expressed pride in the achievement of their officials.
Full list of referees selected by FIFA here.
See X post below.
Collina explains selection criteria
FIFA selected 52 referees, 88 assistant referees and 30 video match officials, from 50 countries to oversee the 104-game tournament in North America.
FIFA's chief and legendary referee Pierluigi Collina explained the selection criteria, disclosing that the officials have been under watch for the last three years.
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“The selected match officials are the very best in the world. They were part of a wider pool of officials that was identified and monitored over the past three years,” he told FIFA.com.
“They have attended seminars and officiated at FIFA tournaments. In addition, their performances in domestic and international matches were regularly assessed.”
CAF implements refereeing changes
Legit.ng previously reported that CAF implemented refereeing changes after the incidents at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations final in Morocco in January.
CAF President Dr Patrice Motsepe confirmed that the organisation is looking into reviewing the standards of officiating on the continent after the controversies.
Source: Legit.ng
