The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has opened a misconduct investigation following violent scenes at the end of two Africa cup of nations quarter-final matches, with Algeria also submitting a formal complaint over refereeing decisions in their defeat by Nigeria.
The confederation confirmed on Monday that it was examining incidents that occurred after Morocco’s win over Cameroon in Rabat on Friday and Nigeria’s 2-0 victory over Algeria in Marrakech on Saturday, with possible sanctions to follow.
Footage circulating on social media showed Algerian players pursuing the referee, Issa Sy of Senegal, down the tunnel after the final whistle, while separate videos captured confrontations involving players, officials and journalists in the mixed zone.
Algerian supporters were also seen clashing with security personnel following the loss.
In an official statement, CAF said, ‘CAF has collected recent match reports and video evidence indicating potentially unacceptable behaviour from some players and officials and has opened an investigation’.
‘CAF has referred the matters to the disciplinary board for investigation and has called for appropriate action to be taken if the identified persons were to be found guilty of any wrongdoing’.
‘CAF strongly condemns any inappropriate behaviour which occurs during matches, especially those targeting the refereeing team or match organisers. Appropriate actions will be sought against anyone whose behaviour is not consistent with professional conduct at CAF events’.
Algeria’s Football Federation later confirmed that it had formally filed a complaint with CAF over the officiating of Issa Sy, questioning several decisions made during the quarter-final.
In a statement, the federation said, ‘The Algerian Football Federation cannot ignore the refereeing performance observed during the last match, which raised numerous questions and caused considerable confusion’.
‘Certain decisions have damaged the credibility of African refereeing and do nothing to enhance the value of continental football on the international stage’.
According to Algerian sources, the country’s complaint included a detailed report sent to CAF’s arbitration board, citing specific grievances.
Among them was a first-half penalty appeal for an alleged Nigerian handball in the area, described by the Algerian camp as ‘blatant’, which was neither awarded nor reviewed by VAR.
The report also criticised what it viewed as disproportionate disciplinary measures, with six yellow cards shown to Algerian players, and alleged ‘disrespectful’ behaviour by the referee at full time, including claims that he refused to greet Algerian players and officials.
The controversy has reignited broader criticism of officiating at the tournament, with refereeing decisions coming under scrutiny since the start of the competition.
Mali and Cameroon had both previously expressed dissatisfaction over decisions despite the use of video assistance, while Mali successfully appealed to have Amadou Haïdara’s two-match suspension reduced to one.
Some Algerian media outlets have gone further by questioning the late appointment of Issa Sy, who replaced Somali referee Abdelkader Artan shortly before the match.
Despite the strong stance taken by the federation, Algeria captain Riyad Mahrez adopted a more measured tone after the game, saying, ‘The refereeing was not perfect, but it is not the only reason for our defeat. One must know how to remain lucid’.
Head coach Vladimir Petkovic also sought to lower the temperature, acknowledging that officiating decisions affected his side while focusing on their own shortcomings. He said the decisions ‘broke the rhythm’ of his players, but emphasised that Algeria’s elimination was rooted in tactical issues.
CAF also confirmed that its investigation would extend to incidents reported in the tunnel area after the Nigeria match, where altercations broke out between members of both delegations as tensions flared following Algeria’s exit from the tournament.
