The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has fired its director of refereeing, Desire Noumandiez Doue, following controversy during the final of the 2024 Africa Women's Cup of Nations.
Nigeria's Super Falcons came from two goals down to win the encounter 3-2, beating host nation Morocco in a pulsating final in Rabat.
It was gathered that CAF arrived at the decision following a protest by the Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF).
Moroccan officials claimed there were critical officiating errors during the encounter as they blew away their first-half lead.
Although Doue did not referee the match as a person, he was criticised for his role in referee appointments, Soccernet reports.
Namibia’s Antsino Twanyanyukwa was in charge of the game and was assisted by officials from Rwanda and Senegal, and Rwanda’s Salima Mukansanga on VAR.
Morocco protested a denied penalty and a “soft” penalty awarded to Nigeria, as they submitted a video dossier to CAF alleging that the decisions affected the outcome.
According to Hespress, CAF responded by dismissing Doue as part of efforts to restore confidence in its refereeing standards.
At the 2022 edition of the competition, Nigeria also decried poor officiating, where the Super Falcons, then coached by Randy Waldrum, received two red cards in a semifinal loss to Morocco on penalties.
Upon their arrival back home, the Nigerian women's national team members were treated to a heroic welcome, and that was followed by a lavish reception by President Bola Tinubu.
CAF has sacked Head of Refereeing Désiré Noumandiez Doué following a formal protest by Morocco over the officiating in the WAFCON final, which they lost to Nigeria’s Super Falcons.
— Carol Radull (@CarolRadull) August 1, 2025
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The leader gave each player in the team the sum of $100,00 alongside the Officer of the Order of the Niger (OON) as well as houses.
MTN gifts Super Falcons N150m
Meanwhile, Nigerians have continued to react after telecommunication giants MTN donated a huge sum of money to the victorious Super Falcons in Lagos.
Super Falcons have been the subject of celebration from the government and brands after winning the 2025 Women's Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco.
The players and technical crew members were hosted to a breakfast in Lagos on Thursday morning, during which the brand donated ₦150 million to the team.
Team captain Rasheedat Ajibade, who was named the tournament’s best player, as noted by CAF Online, applauded the kind gesture by MTN on behalf of her teammates.
