The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has fired its Director of Refereeing, Désiré Noumandiez Doué, following the submission of two formal petitions by the host country Morocco, challenging Nigeria’s victory and suing for the recall of the trophy.
Doué’s removal comes after the Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF) submitted an official protest, claiming there were serious mistakes by the referees during the final match in Rabat. Morocco, the host country, lost 3–2 to Nigeria after taking a two-goal lead.
Although Doué did not officiate the game himself, he was responsible for appointing the match officials. The final was handled by Namibia’s Antsino Twanyanyukwa, with assistants from Rwanda and Senegal. VAR was overseen by Salima Mukansanga from Rwanda.
The FRMF complained that Morocco were denied a clear penalty and criticised the “soft” penalty given to Nigeria. They sent a video report to CAF, pointing out several decisions they believe cost them the match.
After the game, Morocco’s coach Jorge Vilda told ESPN:
“We saw video replays showing clear contact, but the referee reversed her decision. It affected our players mentally. It was a big setback.”
Morocco also filed a separate protest alleging that Ashleigh Plumptre and Michelle Alozie—both born outside Nigeria—may not have met the eligibility criteria properly when switching nationality to play for the Super Falcons. They are requesting CAF to investigate this matter and consider stripping Nigeria of the title.
According to reports by Hespress, CAF responded quickly to the complaints by removing Doué from his position. His dismissal is said to be the first step in the ongoing investigations by the football organization and if the allegations are proven in Morocco’s favour, the trophy may be recalled.