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Algeria Protests Moroccan Referee for Key World Cup Qualifier Match
Tuesday 2 November 2021, by
Algeria does not approve of the CAF’s choice to appoint a Moroccan referee for the Niger - Burkina Faso match to be held on November 12 at the Marrakech stadium, during the fifth round of the 2022 World Cup qualifiers. It would even have asked the institution to recuse the Moroccan.
The Moroccan international referee, Samir Guezzaz, has been appointed by CAF to officiate the Niger-Burkina Faso match, while his South African counterpart, Gomes Victor Miguel De Freitas, will whistle the Djibouti-Algeria match to be played simultaneously at the Cairo stadium in Egypt.
Since the announcement of the identity of the Moroccan referee for this match, several sports analysts and even Algerian supporters have cried foul. According to the latter, the choice of a Moroccan to lead the Niger-Burkina Faso match sounds like a favor granted to Burkina Faso, given the open crisis between Algeria and Morocco.
The Algerian Football Federation (FAF) would have officially seized the CAF to recuse the appointment of the Moroccan referee, claiming that the latter could "protect the Burkinabe players, nine of whom are threatened with sanction during the match against Algeria".
Tied at the top of Group A with 10 points each, Algeria and Burkina Faso will face each other on November 16 at the Blida stadium for the 6th and final round of the qualifiers. The outcome of the two matches Djibouti-Algeria and Niger - Burkina Faso scheduled for November 12 is therefore decisive for the two teams who are largely favored.