Ghana v Gambia: Morocco’s Mustapha Kechaf steps in for Jalal Jayed

Morocco’s Jalal Jayed has been replaced as referee for Ghana’s Africa Cup of Nations 2027 qualifying match against Gambia because of his international commitments.

Jayed was originally appointed to take charge of the Group C fixture at 16:00 GMT on Tuesday, 29 September, at the Accra venue. However, his compatriot Mustapha Kechaf will now referee the game, according to insider Micky Jnr.

Jayed’s unavailability is linked to a particularly demanding schedule. The Moroccan official refereed three matches at the 2026 World Cup and has also been selected to officiate at the 2026 Gulf Cup.

He was in charge of Saturday’s meeting between Kuwait and Iraq in Jeddah, which Iraq won 3-2, on the second matchday of that competition. With the Ghana v Gambia qualifier taking place three days later, it was not possible for him to travel to Accra and officiate.

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) therefore made the change to the match officials. Kechaf will be assisted by Morocco’s Lahsen Azgaou, while Tunisia’s Yassine Saadaoui will serve as assistant referee two and Amir Loucif will be the fourth official.

Kechaf does not have the same level of experience as Jayed and has never previously refereed an Africa Cup of Nations qualifying match. He has, however, worked at a number of CAF inter-club competitions and officiated at the 2024 African Nations Championship.

He also has experience of the Africa Cup of Nations finals. At the 2025 edition, Kechaf refereed Zimbabwe’s 3-2 win against South Africa in Marrakech on 29 December.

The fixture is an important opportunity for Ghana to recover from their opening result in the qualifying campaign. They were beaten 2-0 by Cote d’Ivoire in Bouake.

Gambia began their campaign with a victory, although they needed a late effort to overcome Somalia 2-1. The result means they will arrive in Accra looking to build on that opening success, while Ghana seek their first points.