Rabat – The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has selected a Moroccan team of referees to oversee the third-place playoff match of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) between South Africa and the DR Congo on February 10.
Moroccan international referee Redouane Jiyed will lead the officiating team for the match. Assisting him will be fellow Moroccans Lahcen Azgaou and Mustapha Akrdad, SNRTNews reported today.
Tomorrow’s game will be Jiyed’s fourth time officiating a match at the ongoing tournament.
He officiated Senegal and Gambia’s group stage game, as well as Burkina Faso vs. Mauritania and Nigeria vs. Cameroon matches in the knockout rounds.
The third-place playoff will kick off at 9 p.m. Moroccan time at the Felix Houphouet Boigny stadium in the city of Abidjan, located on the southern coast of Cote d’Ivoire.
Meanwhile, the tournament’s final will see Nigeria and host Cote d’Ivoire vying to win the AFCON title. The game will take place on Sunday at the Olympic Stadium of Ebimpe.
CAF has appointed a total of seven Moroccan personnel for the AFCON, including Samir El Kazaz, Jalal Jiyed, and Bouchra Karboubi as field-side referees, and Zakaria Brinsi as a video assistant referee (VAR).
Notably, Karboubi made headlines last month after becoming the first Arab female referee to officiate an AFCON game. She officiated the group stage between Nigeria and Guinea Bissau on January 22.
Commenting on her achievement, Karkoubi told BBC Sport Africa: “The emotions were enormous. It is an honor for me, for my family, for my country, and for African women in general.”
Despite being favorites to win the tournament’s title, Morocco was eliminated in the Round of 16 after losing to South Africa 2-0.
However, the 2025 AFCON, which Morocco will host, will be an opportunity for a strong comeback for the Atlas Lions following this year’s early elimination.
