One month after the Confédération Africaine de Football (CAF) appeal jury stripped Sénégal of its African championship title due to incidents during the final against Maroc on January 19, a new disciplinary measure has been handed down, this time by FIFA.
Jean-Jacques Ndala, the official in charge of that high-stakes match, has been omitted from the selection for this summer’s World Cup. Although he still enjoys the backing of the Confédération Africaine de Football—evidenced by his continued assignments in the African Champions League and the CAF Cup—FIFA has chosen to move forward without his services.
Despite his exclusion, the FIFA refereeing commission has selected seven other African officials for the global tournament, all of whom participated in the recent CAN. The list includes Jalal Jayed from Maroc, Mustapha Ghorbal from Algérie, Pierre Atcho from Gabon, Dahane Beida from Mauritanie, Tom Abongile from Afrique du Sud, Amin Mohamed from Égypte, and Omar Artan from Somalie.
Referee followed specific instructions during the match
The decision to leave Jean-Jacques Ndala out is not entirely unexpected. His officiating during the CAN final drew sharp condemnation from critics, who highlighted several debatable calls and what appeared to be a lack of control during the chaotic events on the pitch.
According to statements made by Olivier Safari, president of the CAF refereeing committee, during an executive meeting on February 13 in Dar es-Salaam, the Congolese referee received specific orders during a match stoppage. He was reportedly told not to issue second yellow cards to certain Sénégal players who had retreated to the locker rooms, which would have resulted in two dismissals. These instructions were allegedly given “to preserve the match” upon their return to the field.
