The Royal Moroccan Football Federation has previously enlisted foreign referees to oversee matches in the Moroccan league, appointing four officials of different nationalities in a bid to tap into diverse expertise.
Recent years have seen a genuine crisis in Moroccan refereeing, exacerbated by strong protests from national teams and its entanglement in a corruption scandal that has surfaced in recent days.
This situation prompted the Ethics Committee, affiliated with the Royal Moroccan Football Federation, to launch an investigation three months ago into two matches in the top tier of the previous season allegedly involving a Casablanca-based team.
Refereeing Crisis and the Utilization of Foreign Officials
As news of the recent refereeing scandal spreads, local football observers are questioning whether the Moroccan Football Federation might turn to foreign referees.
Former international referee Youssef Rchad believes such a move would be beneficial for Moroccan football, facilitating the exchange of expertise between both parties and providing Moroccan referees with new opportunities to officiate matches outside Morocco, thereby benefiting from higher standards.
Rchad, also Deputy Chairman of the Referees Association in Switzerland, suggests that “the current refereeing situation in Morocco is very challenging, and there is a need to restore its prestige through proper training for referees, fostering competitiveness among them, and providing equal opportunities without favoritism.”
Is Foreign Refereeing the Solution?
Rchad emphasizes that “foreign referees in the national league are not a final solution but rather part of the training process for Moroccan referees through interaction with football schools that have surpassed ‘primitive judgments’ and developed due to receiving training at the highest level, thanks to those responsible for overseeing the most sensitive sector in football.”
Despite the criticism, Rchad believes “Morocco possesses good referees and talents capable of proving themselves; continuous training and effort are necessary.”
History of Foreign Referees in the League
A deep dive into the appointment of foreign referees in the national league reveals that the Royal Moroccan Football Federation previously embraced such a strategy.
In 1993, Algerian referee Mohamed Hansal was appointed to officiate the Casablanca derby between Wydad and Raja.
The federation later granted an opportunity to French-Moroccan Saïd Ennjimi, who was active in the French league, to referee a match between Wydad Fes and Royal Army Forces in 2010.
Egyptian Jihad Grisha also officiated the “Clasico” between Royal Army Forces and Raja in 2019.
Additionally, Senegalese referee Maguette N’Diaye officiated a match between Mouloudia Oujda and Renaissance Berkane in the same year.
The lingering question remains: can excellent training restore a referee of the caliber of the late Said Belqola, who was honored by FIFA to officiate the 1998 World Cup final, becoming the first Arab and African referee in World Cup history? Or is it better to rely on foreign referees to resolve this issue?
