AS FAR Protests to CAF Over Appointment of Referee Jean-Jacques Ndala for Champions League Final

The management of AS FAR sent an official letter to the Confederation of African Football (CAF) on Monday morning, expressing its objection to the refereeing team appointed to officiate the first leg of the CAF Champions League final against South Africa's Mamelodi Sundowns.

According to an authorized source within AS FAR, the management of the military club focused its protest on the appointment of Congolese referee Jean-Jacques Ndala to officiate this eagerly awaited clash, scheduled for 17 May, noting that the choice raises numerous question marks, particularly in light of the controversy that surrounded his performance in the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) final between Morocco and Senegal.

The club's management also pointed to an additional factor, namely the same referee's absence from the list of officials selected for the 2026 World Cup, arguing that this raises questions about the suitability of entrusting him with a match of this magnitude.

On another note, the club's letter raised a point regarding the method used to appoint the refereeing team, expressing its surprise that the officiating of the first leg was assigned to a team of the same nationality, while a refereeing team of mixed nationalities was appointed for the second leg, which it sees as a lack of balance in the appointments for the two legs of the final.

In closing its letter, the management of AS FAR stressed the need to ensure full conditions of transparency and equal opportunity between the two teams, calling on CAF to review these appointments in line with the importance and sensitivity of the match at the continental level.