The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has dismissed two referees from the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, suspending them for the remainder of the tournament following what it described as unsatisfactory performances.
The officials affected are Boubou Traore of Mali and Abdou Abdel Mefire of Cameroon, both of whom were removed after matches in earlier rounds raised serious concerns over refereeing standards.
The decision shows CAF will no longer accept clear mistakes at this critical stage of the tournament, especially after complaints from several national teams about controversial decisions.
The dismissals form part of a wider review of officiating standards at the tournament. By sending the two referees home, CAF is sending a strong message about accountability and performance.
As the tournament reaches its closing stages, CAF says the reputation of AFCON 2025 now depends on the remaining referees being fair and technically sound
By: Pascal Amoah
