The African Football Confederation stripped Senegal of its Afcon title a month ago due to incidents during the final against Morocco on January 19. Now, the FIFA has taken further disciplinary action, this time targeting the referee who officiated the match.
Jean-Jacques Ndala, the referee in question, has been omitted from FIFA’s list of officials for the upcoming World Cup this summer. Despite retaining the Confédération Africaine de Football’s trust—evidenced by his assignments in the African Champions League and CAF Cup—FIFA has decided against including him.
FIFA’s decision contrasts with the seven African referees selected for the World Cup, all of whom officiated at the last Afcon. The chosen officials include Jalal Jayed (Morocco), Mustapha Ghorbal (Algeria), Pierre Atcho (Gabon), Dahane Beida (Mauritania), Tom Abongile (South Africa), Amin Mohamed (Egypt), and Omar Artan (Somalia).
Why was the referee excluded?
Jean-Jacques Ndala’s exclusion may come as no surprise. His performance in the Afcon final drew sharp criticism, with many questioning his debatable decisions and lack of decisive action during critical moments.
According to Olivier Safari, president of the CAF Referees’ Committee, instructions were given to Ndala during a halftime break to avoid issuing yellow cards to Senegalese players returning from the locker room—cards that would have led to the expulsion of two already-booked players. The reasoning? « To preserve the integrity of the match » upon their return to the field.