The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has appointed Algerian referee Mustapha Ghorbal to officiate the quarter-final match between Egypt and Ivory Coast in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.
This appointment is seen as a bad omen for the Pharaohs, as Ghorbal has previously officiated one match for the Egyptian national team: the second leg of their 2022 World Cup qualifier against Senegal. Carlos Queiroz’s team lost 1-0 in regulation time and were eliminated from the tournament on penalties in Dakar.
Ghorbal will be assisted by Abbas Akram and Adel Abani, while Jean Jacques from the Democratic Republic of Congo will serve as the fourth official. The Video Assistant Referee (VAR) team will be comprised of Algerian Lahlou Benbraham, assisted by Khalil Hassani and Abdelaziz Yasser Ahmed.
The announcement of Ghorbal’s appointment comes despite earlier reports in Egyptian media that the match would be officiated by Moroccan referee Jalal Jiyed. CAF subsequently changed all the previously appointed referees for the quarter-final matches following numerous objections to the proposed referees.
Ghorbal has a long history of refereeing in Egypt at the club level, with his most famous match being the 2020 CAF Champions League final between Al Ahly and Zamalek, which Al Ahly won 2-1.
