The Confederation of African Football CAF has reportedly dismissed its Director of Refereeing, Desire Noumandiez Doue, in the wake of a bitter fallout from the Women's Africa Cup of Nations WAFCON final that saw Nigeria crowned champions for the tenth time .
The decision to part ways with Doue follows an official protest lodged by the Royal Moroccan Football Federation FRMF, who alleged critical officiating errors during the dramatic final in Rabat. Hosts Morocco were beaten 3-2 by Nigeria after the Atlas Lionesses squandered a two-goal lead.
Although Doue did not officiate the match himself, his responsibility for referee appointments has come under scrutiny. The final was officiated by Namibia's Antsino Twanyanyukwa, supported by assistants from Rwanda and Senegal, with Rwanda's Salima Mukansanga overseeing the VAR.
Controversy erupted after Morocco were denied what they believed to be a clear penalty and were left incensed by what they termed a soft penalty awarded to the Super Falcons . The FRMF submitted a video dossier to CAF, highlighting multiple contentious decisions that, in their view, unfairly shaped the outcome of the match.
After the match, Morocco coach Jorge Vilda voiced his frustration, telling ESPN: