The refereeing in the CAN 2013 tournament sparked numerous controversies, prompting Hicham El Amrani, the secretary general of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), to acknowledge that there were shortcomings in the management of certain matches. He stated, “The honesty requires us to recognize that there were shortcomings in the management of certain matches. There were questionable decisions.” El Amrani emphasized that referees deemed to have performed inadequately were sent home.
He also expressed frustration with certain leaders or supervisors who, in denouncing supposed bias, insulted CAF. El Amrani stressed that CAF has invested significant effort in addressing refereeing issues and in the training of referees. He assured that these efforts would continue in the future to improve the quality of refereeing in African football competitions.
