The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has launched a formal disciplinary investigation into post-match incidents that marred two quarter-final ties at the ongoing TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2025.
The probe focuses on alleged “unacceptable behaviour” by players, officials, and possibly media members following Friday’s clash between hosts Morocco and Cameroon (a 2-0 win for Morocco in Rabat, with goals from Brahim Díaz and Ismaël Saibari) and Saturday’s match where Nigeria defeated Algeria 2-0 in Marrakech (strikes from Victor Osimhen and Akor Adams).
In the Nigeria-Algeria game, tensions escalated after the final whistle. Algerian players confronted Senegalese referee Issa Sy on the pitch, with some pursuing him toward the tunnel amid heated protests. Social media videos captured shoving matches involving players like Algeria’s Luca Zidane and Nigeria’s Raphael Onyedika and Wilfred Ndidi. Algerian fans also clashed with security personnel outside the stadium. Altercations reportedly extended to the mixed zone, where journalists from both nations were involved in scuffles.
For the Morocco-Cameroon encounter, frustrations centered on controversial refereeing calls, including a non-awarded penalty for contact on Cameroon’s Bryan Mbeumo by Morocco’s Adam Masina in the box and an apparent elbow incident involving Masina that went unpunished.
CAF’s statement, released on Monday, confirmed it had reviewed match reports and video evidence before referring the cases to its Disciplinary Board. “CAF strongly condemns any inappropriate behaviour which occurs during matches, especially those targeting the refereeing team or match organisers,” the body said. It vowed “appropriate actions” — which could include fines, suspensions, or other sanctions — against anyone found guilty of breaching professional conduct rules at CAF events.
Algeria’s Football Federation quickly responded by filing an official complaint with both CAF and FIFA, criticizing referee Issa Sy’s performance and claiming certain decisions “damaged the credibility of African refereeing.” Such referee complaints from defeated sides are a recurring feature in African football, often aimed at channeling fan disappointment away from the result itself.
The incidents come as the tournament reaches its business end, with Nigeria now set to face hosts Morocco in a blockbuster semi-final on Wednesday, January 14. Egypt and Senegal complete the last-four lineup after their respective quarter-final wins.
CAF emphasized its commitment to upholding standards at the flagship continental competition, which runs until January 18.