Refereeing expert Jamal Al-Sharif has dismissed claims of favouritism towards Morocco following controversial decisions in the Africa Cup of Nations final against Senegal.
Senegal secured the AFCON title on Sunday after edging Morocco 1-0, but the final was marked by heated debates over refereeing calls, particularly the disallowed Senegalese goal in stoppage time and the late penalty awarded to the host nation.
The Teranga Lions thought they had doubled their advantage in the 90+2 minute, but the Congolese referee ruled the goal out after blowing his whistle for a foul moments earlier, following Achraf Hakimi’s fall.
The decision sparked suspicions in some quarters that Morocco, as tournament hosts, had benefited from officiating bias.
Addressing the controversy in comments published by Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, Jamal Al-Sharif firmly defended the referee’s judgment.
“The decision not to count Senegal’s goal in stoppage time is absolutely correct,” he said.
He explained that the incident leading to the disallowed goal involved an infringement by the Senegalese attacker.
“There was contact between Abdoulaye Seck and Achraf Hakimi, and the Senegalese player used his left hand to push the Moroccan player,” the refereeing expert noted.
Al-Sharif added that the referee had acted appropriately after the foul occurred before the ball crossed the line.
“Achraf Hakimi fell to the ground, and the Senegalese player was able to play the ball with his head, so the referee called a foul against him, and this is the correct decision.”
The refereeing expert also backed the decision to award Morocco a penalty late in the match, which further fueled tensions on the pitch.
“The penalty kick was correct after Ibrahim Diaz was pulled from behind and fell inside the penalty area. The Senegalese player, Malick Diouf, used his left hand to pull Ibrahim Diaz’s neck,” he added.
