Hours before the start of the Morocco-Cameroon quarter-final match in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) changed the referee for the highly anticipated encounter, sparking considerable controversy surrounding the decision-making process.
CAF’s initial decision, following the Round of 16 matches, was to appoint Egyptian referee Amin Omar for the Morocco-Cameroon game. However, as soon as the media revealed this, a wave of protests erupted in Morocco against the referee, deeming him unsuitable for such a crucial match.
CAF remained officially silent about the referee’s identity until Thursday, prompting the Royal Moroccan Football Federation to send a letter demanding public disclosure of who would officiate the match. Moroccan newspapers also exerted pressure on CAF to replace Amin Omar.
Under all the aforementioned circumstances, CAF decided to excuse the Egyptian referee from the match and instead appointed Mauritanian Dahane Beida to officiate the Cameroon-Morocco game. He will be assisted by Angolan Gerson dos Santos (first assistant) and Sancha Lopes (second assistant), while Sudanese Mahmoud Ali Ismail will serve as the fourth official.
Ghanaian Daniel Laryea will be the Video Assistant Referee (VAR), assisted by Tunisian Haitham Thirat and Mauritanian Aboubacar Sarr.
It is worth noting that the quarter-final match between Egypt and Ivory Coast will be officiated by Moroccan Jalal Jaoud Ladarioum next Saturday at the Adrar Stadium in Agadir.
