CAF Releases Two Referees Ahead Of AFCON 2025 Semi-Finals

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has released two referees from the remainder of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Morocco as the tournament heads into its closing rounds.

CAF confirmed that Boubou Traoré of Mali and Abdou Abdel Mefire of Cameroon will no longer be involved in officiating duties for the rest of the competition. CAF did not provide any official reason for the decision.

The move is widely viewed as part of the usual reduction in match officials as the field narrows and the number of fixtures decreases. Note that only the semi-finals, third-place playoff and final are left to play.

The officials retained for the final phase of AFCON 2025 are Mustapha Ghorbal, Pacifique Ndabihawenimana, Jean Ndala, Amin Omar, Pierre Atcho, Peter Waweru, Dahane Beida, Jalal Jayed, Samuel Uwikunda, Issa Sy, Omar Artan, Abongile Tom, Mahmoud Ismail and Mehrez Melki.

CAF modernises technical analysis at AFCON 2025

Beyond refereeing matters, CAF has also rolled out a major overhaul of how matches are technically analysed at the tournament. The Technical Study Group at the AFCON 2025 is operating under a new model that places technology and collaboration at the centre of its work.

For the first time in the competition’s history, CAF introduced a fully integrated remote-based analysis system during the group stage.

The approach is supported by live data platforms, multiple video angles and dedicated video analysts, allowing for more detailed and consistent technical reporting.

According to Technical Study Group leader Belhassen Malouche, the changes were necessary to reflect the modern demands of elite football.

“Football is improving, but also the technology and the way matches are analysed,” Malouche said. “If football is evolving, we also need to evolve. This required us to grow and work in the same environment as the top global football competitions.”

In previous AFCON tournaments, Technical Study Group members often worked alone at match venues, producing manual reports with limited opportunity to exchange ideas or compare findings.

“At times, we were working in the same way we had worked 20 years ago,” Malouche explained. “Each expert observed matches alone, designed reports on their own and had very little opportunity to exchange with the rest of the group.”

At Morocco 2025, CAF reorganised the Technical Study Group into four teams of three, each made up of two technical experts and one video analyst.

Each team analysed one match, produced a full report the next day and then moved on to the following fixture. Daily coordination meetings ensured observations were shared and trends were identified across the entire tournament.

“We now have real exchange,” Malouche said. “The discussions are productive in terms of tactics, trends and logistics. We know what is happening across the whole competition, not just in one stadium.”