AFCON: Sudanese Referee to Officiate Morocco-South Africa Game

Rabat – The Confederation of African Football’s (CAF) arbitration committee has appointed the Sudanese referee Mahmood Ali Mahmood Ismail to officiate the Moroccan national team’s match against its South African counterpart. The match is expected to take place on January 30 in the Round of 16 stage of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).

The Sudanese referee will manage the game with his compatriot Mohammed Abdallah Ibrahim, and Cameroonian ‘Elvis Guy’ Noupue Nguegoue.

Mahmood has led two matches in the ongoing African Cup, the first being between Cameroon and Senegal which ended in a 3-1 win for Senegal.

The second game that Mahmood officiated brought together Cote d’Ivoire and Equatorial Guinea, with the latter team winning 4-0.

Following the AFCON 2024 qualifications, 32 referees were selected by CAF for the preparatory sessions ahead of the games.

A win for Morocco and for women around the world, Moroccan Bouchra Karboubi has become the first woman to referee an AFCON match in history.

During the group stage matches, Karboubi oversaw the game between Guinea-Bissau and Nigeria on January 22.

An additional win for Morocco, the national squad is quickly becoming an AFCON crowd favorite.

The Moroccan squad had sealed qualification to the Round of 16 after clinching two wins over Tanzania 3-0 and Zambia 1-0, with an additional 1-1 draw with DR Congo.

Due to this performance, the Atlas Lions earned seven points and are now leading the Group F standings. Their next game against South Africa will take place at the San Pedro Stadium at 9 p.m. Moroccan Time. It will be streamed on Morocco’s Arriyadia TNT or on South Africa’s local broadcaster Supersports.