AFRICA CUP OF NATIONS REFEREES UNDER THE LENS FOR FAVOURITISM

Suspicion that the referees were favouring the host nation of Morocco pervaded the Africa Cup of Nations, culminating in turmoil during Sunday's final following a number of controversial rulings. The Senegalese players leaving the pitch after Morocco was given a penalty at the very end of the second half will be the most memorable image from this Afcon.

That happened soon after Senegal's goal was disallowed by referee Jean-Jacques Ndala. Throughout the three weeks of the competition, there was a general lack of faith in match officials, which was evident in the Senegalese response.

There is a lot of criticism of the refereeing at Afcons, but never before have the complaints grown to such an extent that they ruined the final in Rabat and damaged the reputation of a tournament whose administration had previously received high praise. After the Moroccans fell 1-0 in extra time in front of their home crowd, Morocco coach Walid Regragui remarked, "It was unhealthy from the beginning," alluding to the hostile environment that pervaded every game his side played.

The grounds of conflict between players and referees were numerous, in addition to the pressure Moroccan fans put on their team during games and the restricted number of seats given to their rivals.

The Cameroonians were incensed when Morocco defeated them 2-0 in the quarterfinals, accusing the referee of failing to call a penalty following a foul on striker Bryan Mbeumo. A lot of individuals like to think—or convince others—that we benefit from the referees. People will look for any excuse to claim that Morocco is favoured since we are the team to beat," Regragui stated.

There was controversy surrounding Morocco's semifinal victory over Nigeria. The referee was terrible. Bright Osayi-Samuel, a midfielder for Nigeria, stated, "He made really bad decisions, and it's truly painful to see referees like that in a big match."

Above all, Jean-Jacques Ndala, the Congolese referee, and the final were in the public eye. Bruno Derrien, a former French international referee, claimed that Ndala lacked the power to handle the situation.

Minutes before the penalty incident, Senegal's goal was disallowed due to a foul on Paris Saint-Germain defender Achraf Hakimi. Derrien told AFP that there was "contact, but it's very light."He blows the whistle too soon, in my opinion. The goal would have likely been verified by VAR if he had allowed play to continue without calling that foul," Derrien continued.

Ndala ultimately gave a penalty when Senegalese defender El Hadji Malick Diouf grabbed Brahim Diaz by the neck and pulled him down during a corner. The penalty, according to Derrien, was dubious and came after a "micro-foul" during a moment when the stress in the close game was "enormous." As Ndala made his way to see the VAR screen, he was encircled by players and personnel from both teams, and Moroccan spectators' whistles broke the tense situation. The Senegalese players were incensed by his choice, and some of them protested by leaving the pitch, which caused a 20-minute delay in play.

Football rules require that a player be issued a yellow card "if he delays the restart of play" or if he wilfully leaves the pitch of play without the referee's consent. It might be argued that the Congolese referee was also too passive throughout this absurd incident.

Several Senegalese players who were already receiving yellow cards might have been dismissed if it had been the case. On Monday, Gianni Infantino, president of FIFA, denounced "the behaviour of some 'supporters' as well as some Senegalese players and technical staff members," and he urged the Confederation of African Football (CAF) to take "appropriate measures."