“We are investing a lot” – CAF official defends refereeing standards amid Nigeria–Morocco controversy

Confederation of African Football (CAF) official Luxolo September has insisted that the organisation is making significant investments in refereeing and officiating standards, Soccernet.ng reports.

This follows the growing controversy surrounding the Nigeria vs Morocco AFCON 2025 semi-final and the performance of Ghanaian referee Daniel Nii Ayi Laryea.

Two days before the highly charged clash, CAF’s Head of TV and Communications, September, addressed concerns about officiating while speaking to the media, with his comments captured on camera by Soccernet.ng.

What CAF official said ahead of Nigeria vs Morocco clash

“The people, the investors, the fans — the emotional owners and spiritual owners of football — the fans have a certain level of confidence in the referees themselves, and CAF is paying a lot of attention to this,” September said.

He revealed that CAF has committed substantial financial resources to improving officiating across the continent, including the introduction of full-time referees.

“It’s spending a lot of money on investing in referees. You see, we’ve got about 20 referees who are full time at the moment, so we are investing a lot and bringing a lot of younger referees into the spotlight,” he added.

September acknowledged that challenges still exist but maintained that CAF is open to addressing them when they arise.

“I think what is important always is that whenever there are challenges, we must look at them and try and resolve it. But you’ve got to look at everything holistically.”

His comments gained renewed attention after Nigeria’s dramatic semi-final defeat to host nation Morocco, which ended goalless before Morocco advanced on penalties.

Watch CAF official's comment here before Nigeria vs Morocco clash:

 

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Officiating concerns over AFCON success

A large section of the Nigerian football community questioned some key decisions taken during the game, with scrutiny falling on referee Laryea and CAF’s officiating processes.

However, September pointed to the broader success of the tournament and went on to argue that officiating concerns should not overshadow what he described as a landmark AFCON.

“This AFCON has recorded a record number of TV audiences, a record number of ticket sales, record commercial figures, record global partners, and record global interest,” he said. “You can’t look at one area and say it’s not successful. You must look at the whole area holistically.”

He concluded by describing AFCON 2025 as the most successful edition in the competition’s history, while still accepting the need for improvement.

“There is no doubt that this AFCON is by far the most successful AFCON in the history of AFCON. That is what the statistics are telling us. Are there areas where we should improve? One hundred per cent.”

CAF is yet to issue any specific statement addressing the Nigeria–Morocco refereeing complaints, even as debates around officiating continue to dominate post-match discussions.