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FIFA’s Referees Committee has announced the list of officials for the upcoming FIFA Arab Cup 2025, set to take place in Qatar from 1 to 18 December.
The list includes 54 referees from 23 national associations, featuring 14 main referees, 28 assistants, and 12 VAR officials representing different continents.
What caught attention, however, was the complete absence of Moroccan referees — neither as main officials, assistants, nor VAR operators. The omission comes at a time when Moroccan referees continue to perform well below par both in Botola Pro on the global stage.
The line-up does include several prominent African names, such as Pierre Atcho from Gabon and Amin Omar from Egypt as match referees. They will be joined by assistants Boris Marlis and Abini Ndong from Gabon, alongside Mahmoud Abou El-Regal and Tawfik Oubatleb from Egypt. Algerian Ibrahim Lahoulou has been appointed as part of the VAR team.
The competition will begin with the qualifying play-offs on 25 and 26 November, featuring seven matches that will decide who joins the 16-team group stage.
Host nation Qatar will play the opening match against the winner of Palestine vs Libya at Al Bayt Stadium. The final is scheduled for 18 December at the iconic Lusail Stadium.
Morocco kick off their campaign against Saudi Arabia on 8 December at Lusail Stadium at 18:00 GMT+1.
