Referee’s Uniform Switch Sparks Diplomatic Row at Women’s AFCON

Ghada Mehat risks disciplinary action. She appeared during the first half of the Ghana-Mali match at the Women’s AFCON in Morocco wearing a uniform displaying the logo of the national airline Royal Air Maroc (RAM), one of the official sponsors of the tournament. But the Algerian referee removed her RAM advertising patch when returning from the locker room, sparking widespread controversy.

Why this unusual behavior? According to sources within CAF, the center referee received "special instructions" at halftime of the match. For now, the nature of these instructions or the entity that issued them has not been revealed, leaving room for various interpretations. Is Algeria behind this maneuver? There are indications that point to this. Algerian television channels have indeed concealed all references to Morocco, the host country of the Women’s AFCON.

"Several Moroccan media outlets have noticed, during a press conference by the Fennecs coach Farid Benstiti, broadcast live on several Algerian channels, the disappearance of the Royal Air Maroc logo, a sponsor of the competition, on the advertising boards behind the podium. Via editing, it was replaced by the logo of another partner brand, TotalEnergies," reported Le Parisien.

On its social media, the Algerian Football Federation (FAF) has removed the "Morocco 24" mention, the emblem of the tournament, from several visuals, such as the one accompanying the list of players selected for the AFCON, at the top center. Even the logo of the competition is censored on the bench during Algeria’s first match in the competition, won 1-0 against Botswana on Sunday. Black adhesive tape is seen in place of the logo.

After the incident, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) has opened a disciplinary investigation to reveal the circumstances of the case. In the event of a violation of the rules of neutrality or the regulations of the tournament, CAF will take the necessary measures against the Algerian referee.