AFCON 2025 Referee Who Officiated in Big Matches Suspended After Major Officiating Error
- A top FIFA referee who officiated during the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations has been suspended after recent officiating error
- The North African referee was part of the officiating crew in some of the top matches during the 35th edition of the AFCON
- There were different complains and criticism from fans about the officiaiting in Morocco, with South Africa not left out
A FIFA-listed referee has been placed under indefinite suspension just a few weeks after the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) ended in Morocco.
Several matches during the 35th edition of Africa’s number one football tournament were criticised by the public for substandard officiating, prompting calls from participating nations for closer oversight.
South Africa suffered a fair share from the complaint about the refereeing in the competition. During Bafana Bafana's second group game against Egypt, the Pharaohs were awarded a penalty in the first half while Hugo Broos were denied theirs in the closing stages of the match
Tunisian referee suspended after AFCON 2025
The Tunisia Football Federation (TFF) has indefinitely suspended referee Haitham Guirat following his controversial performances weeks after returning from the AFCON 2025 in Morocco.
Reports claimed that Guirat made a significant refereeing error during the Tunisian Ligue Professionnelle 1 clash between CS Sfaxien and Club Africain on Sunday, February 8, 2026.
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The Tunisian referee's decisions in the match drew widespread criticism from football stakeholders in the North African country, with many describing the mistake as a serious officiating lapse.
The Tunisian Referees Committee has recommended an immediate disciplinary review to uphold league integrity and rebuild confidence in match officiating.
Guirat also served as Video Assistant Referee (VAR) in two AFCON 2025 matches— Morocco vs. Mali and Nigeria vs. Mozambique.
Additionally, he officiated as VAR during the 2026 FIFA World Cup playoff final between Nigeria and Democratic Republic of Congo, which the Super Eagles suffered a disappointing defeat in Morocco.
Ex-FIFA ref corrects official after Chiefs' win
A former FIFA referee also corrected Ghanaian referee Daniel Laryea after his recent mistake during Kaizer Chiefs' win over Al Masry in the CAF Confederation Cup on Sunday, February 8, 2026.
The Ghanaian ref awarded the Premier Soccer League giants a penalty in the first half after the Egyptian side's captain was adjudged to have handled the ball in his box.
The replay shows that the Al Masry captain's hand was in a natural position, but since there's no VAR for the match the centre-referee's decision stood and Flavio da Silva duly converted the resulting penalty.
Laryea was in charge of Nigeria vs Morocco semi-final clash during the AFCON and was criticised for substandard officiating while making numerous mistakes.
Why Chiefs shouldn't have been awarded penalty
Briefly News also reported that a football expert explained why Kaizer Chiefs shouldn't have been awarded a penalty during their victory over Al Masry in the CAF Confederation Cup.
The penalty was crucial for the Glamour Boys as they built on it to secure all three points against the Egyptian giants.
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Source: Briefly News
