The reason behind a Moroccan referee's refusal to officiate the third-place playoff between South Africa and DR Congo at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations has reportedly been revealed.
It is understood Redouane Jayed was initially handed the responsibility by CAF for taking the whistle for the match, but according to Egyptian outlet Kooora, the Moroccan official refused to do so.
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Instead, it was Ethiopian referee Bamlak Tessema who took charge of the tie that took place on Saturday, in which Bafana Bafana emerged as victors after beating DRC 6-5 on penalties to snatch third place at the tournament.
It is reported that a statement was issued in which it confirmed that Jayed had apologised for pulling out, citing health issues as the reason behind his decision.
However, according to a Kooora source, Jayed was upset about the fact that Mauritanian referee Dahane Beida was chosen by CAF to take charge of the final between Nigeria and Ivory Coast instead of him.
"The referee asked the referees' committee about the criteria for excluding him from officiating the final, after he was a candidate for it, especially since he received good evaluations of the matches he officiated in the tournament, most of which were decisive," the source said, per Kooora.
It is further claimed that Jayed, who is said to be close to retirement, felt he was not treated "ideally" as the committee had also "excluded him from the arena referees at the World Cup and kept him in the video technology room (VAR), and also deprived him of all the Champions League finals".
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This is said to be the reason the official turned down the opportunity to referee the encounter for third place, considering it "an insult to his career".
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