Pierre Ghislain Atcho to referee Algeria’s crucial Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Togo

Pierre Ghislain Atcho’s appointment to referee Algeria’s Africa Cup of Nations 2027 qualifier against Togo has revived memories of two recent and disputed incidents for the Fennecs.

The Gabonese official will take charge of the match at the Hocine-Ait-Ahmed Stadium in Tizi Ouzou on 14 November, in the third round of qualifying. The Togo Football Federation confirmed the appointment, which is certain to attract attention among Algeria supporters because of Atcho’s previous involvement in matches featuring their team.

Atcho was the VAR official for Algeria’s opening two games at the Africa Cup of Nations 2023, held in Cote d’Ivoire in January 2024. Following a 2-2 draw with Burkina Faso, the Algerian Football Federation (FAF) submitted a complaint to the Confederation of African Football (CAF) over several refereeing decisions.

The FAF also questioned why Atcho had been appointed to VAR for a second consecutive Algeria match.

The official’s name resurfaced two years later during Algeria’s 0-2 quarter-final defeat by Nigeria at the Africa Cup of Nations 2025. Algeria appealed for a penalty after a handball in the area, but central referee Issa Sy did not ask to review the footage.

The FAF subsequently lodged a complaint covering the overall refereeing performance. Incidents after the final whistle then resulted in suspensions for Luca Zidane and Rafik Belghali.

Atcho to referee the match directly

The circumstances will be different in Tizi Ouzou, however. Atcho will not be operating the VAR system this time and will instead be the match referee.

He will be assisted by fellow Gabonese officials Boris Marlaise Ditsoga and Amos Abeigne Ndong. Cregue Fleury Moukagni has been appointed as the fourth official.

Kick-off is scheduled for 20:00 Algeria time. Zidane and Belghali will be available for Algeria again after completing their suspensions.

Algeria go into the fixture with four points from their opening matches, while Togo have three. The result could therefore have a significant bearing on the group before the teams meet again in the return fixture in Lome three days later.

Although Atcho’s appointment will inevitably recall the previous controversies, it will not alter the importance of the match for the Fennecs. Victory would give Algeria valuable momentum and strengthen their position before the second meeting in Togo.