The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has suspended referee Jean-Jacques Ndala from the Democratic Republic of Congo for six months. The sanction follows a review of his performance in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations final between Senegal and Morocco.
The match, played on February 9, 2025, ended in a 1-1 draw before Morocco won 4-2 in a penalty shootout. CAF's Referees Committee found that Ndala committed "clear and serious errors" during the game, particularly in not awarding a penalty to Senegal in the second half. The committee stated the errors had a significant impact on the match.
Despite the suspension of the match official, CAF has confirmed that the result of the final and Morocco's title victory will not be overturned. The organization's appeals body had previously dismissed a formal protest lodged by the Senegalese Football Federation seeking a replay.
The decision to punish the referee while upholding the sporting result aims to address the officiating failure without altering the competition's outcome. The incident has fueled ongoing debates about the implementation of Video Assistant Referee (VAR) technology in African football.
