In the Ivory Coast-Senegal match on September 8, El Ahrach awarded a controversial penalty in the 80th minute while the teams were tied at 2-2. Adding to the controversy, he also issued a red card to Senegalese player Jacques Faty.
A notable incident involved the Burkina Faso-Central Africa match where El Ahrach granted an inexplicable 9 minutes of additional time. This decision proved crucial as Burkina Faso secured a last-minute qualification for the CAN 2013. The extended playing time prompted dissatisfaction from Central Africans, with the Central African Football Federation expressing their discontent to CAF. They stated, “The most grotesque judgment consists of the extension of the regulation time under the pretext of recovering lost time.”
Despite these controversies, Bouchaïb El Ahrach has been frequently appointed by CAF for various competitions, including the 2014 World Cup qualifying matches and the 2012 CAN. The referee’s recent decisions have, however, sparked concerns about the fairness and consistency of officiating in high-stakes matches.
