AFCON: CAF referees committee faces scrutiny after VAR error at AFCON 2025

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) Referees Committee has come under intense pressure following a series of disputed officiating decisions at the ongoing 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco, Sport360NG reports.

Concerns escalated after the completion of the group stage, with attention centring on a controversial incident during Mali’s Group A fixture against Comoros last Monday. The match reportedly prompted urgent internal discussions within CAF, leading to emergency technical meetings at the confederation’s headquarters.

In the game, Chadian referee Mohamed El Hadj Ali dismissed Mali midfielder Amadou Haidara, who plays for Bundesliga club RB Leipzig, after being advised by Egyptian video assistant referee Mahmoud Ashour to review the incident on the pitch-side monitor. The red card decision sparked immediate backlash from observers and analysts.

Following an extensive post-match assessment, CAF’s Referees Committee concluded that the dismissal was erroneous. The committee disclosed that its members, along with match officials involved in the review, unanimously agreed that the VAR intervention was unwarranted and that the decision represented a significant officiating mistake.

Both the referee and the VAR official are understood to have acknowledged the error during a subsequent technical session, where apologies were reportedly issued.

Despite the admission, the consequences remain severe for Haidara, who is now suspended for two matches and will miss Mali’s Round of 16 clash against Tunisia scheduled for next Saturday.

CAF officials are said to be increasingly concerned about the potential influence of such errors on the knockout stages of the tournament. The Referees Committee has reaffirmed that it is holding continuous technical meetings with match officials to address shortcomings and reduce the likelihood of further mistakes as the competition reaches its decisive phase.

The knockout rounds of AFCON 2025 are set to commence on Saturday, with refereeing standards now under heightened scrutiny across the tournament.