Challenged by the leaders of the Gabonese Football Federation (Fegafoot) but ultimately upheld by CAF, Mauritian referee Seechurn Rajindraparsad officiated the match between Togo and Gabon. In a post-match press conference, Panthers sectionalist Paolo Duarte commented on the referee’s performance, stating, “I am an honest man, I am not looking for zero to justify zero. Before the match, we shouted a lot at the referee. Everyone knows that choosing this referee is not good psychologically; it is not a good choice. But we didn’t lose because of the referee. We lost because we had a great team in front of us. It’s true at one point; there was an offside of two meters, and fortunately, in this action, we did not concede a goal,” said the Franco-Portuguese coach.
Despite the controversy, Togo secured its place for an 8th participation in a final phase by winning 2-1.
