Moroccan Ref Jalal Jayed to Officiate AFCON Egypt vs Nigeria Playoff

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has selected Moroccan referee Jalal Jayed to oversee the third-place playoff between Nigeria and Egypt at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations. The bronze-medal match is scheduled for Saturday, 17 January 2026, at Mohammed V Stadium in Casablanca.

Jayed will be assisted on the sidelines by fellow Moroccans Zakaria Brinsi and Akarkad Mostafa, while Hassani Khalil of Tunisia serves as the third assistant referee. Peter Waweru Kamaku from Kenya has been assigned as the fourth official.

For video review duties, CAF appointed Algerian Lahlou Benbraham as the Video Assistant Referee (VAR), supported by Tunisian official Haythem Guirat and Moroccan Hamza El Fariq. The referee assessor for the match will be Sinko Zelli of Côte d’Ivoire.

The fixture comes days after Morocco’s dramatic semi-final penalty shootout win over Nigeria, and both the Super Eagles and Egypt will be looking to finish AFCON 2025 on a high note in the bronze-medal showdown.

EDITORIAL

In the theatre of continental football, appointments of match officials often go unnoticed until they don’t. The decision by CAF to entrust Moroccan referee Jalal Jayed with the whistle for the 2025 AFCON third place play-off between Nigeria and Egypt is not merely procedural it is laden with the subtleties that make elite sport both compelling and controversial.

Refereeing at the Africa Cup of Nations has for generations been a study in balance, the art of impartial adjudication played out under the unforgiving spotlight of national expectation. To be selected as the centre official for a fixture featuring two proud footballing nations both seeking redemption after narrow semi-final defeats is a testament to confidence in Jayed’s experience and poise. Yet, it also places him in the crosshairs of heightened scrutiny, where decisions are dissected with the precision of scholars and the passion of patriots.

This appointment occurs against the backdrop of recent debate over officiating standards in the tournament, where critics and supporters alike have weighed every whistle and waved every flag. In such an atmosphere, the referee’s role becomes more than enforcement of the Laws of the Game it becomes an exercise in narrative control. Players and coaches prepare to clash on 22 yards of turf, but the referee must choreograph the contest with a blend of authority, empathy and unshakeable focus qualities that define the finest in his profession.

CAF’s choice of Jayed and his supporting officiating panel reflects a belief in their capacity to manage not just the technical demands of the match, but the emotional weight that comes with it. For Nigeria and Egypt, this bronze-medal encounter is an opportunity to salvage pride, to imprint their campaigns with a sense of closure rather than regret. For the referee, it is a moment to demonstrate that fairness in football remains paramount, and that the integrity of competition is upheld even when the stakes are nuanced rather than ultimate.

As the teams prepare and the officials take their positions, the true measure of success will be found in the harmony of the contest — where discipline meets dynamism and where respect for the game supersedes the clamor for controversy.

DID YOU KNOW?

1. Jalal Jayed has officiated multiple high-profile matches at AFCON 2025, demonstrating CAF’s trust in his refereeing experience throughout the tournament.
2. Morocco’s selection of officials in this match marks the second time in AFCON 2025 a Moroccan referee has been appointed for a Nigeria-involved fixture, following the semi-final controversies.
3. Nigeria will appear in its ninth AFCON third-place playoff, and they hold the record for the most wins in this fixture’s history.
4. CAF’s officiating panel includes officials from four different countries, reflecting a continental approach to maintaining neutrality and expertise in match oversight.
5. The bronze-medal match at AFCON often serves as a springboard for teams’ preparations toward future qualifiers and tournaments, giving both sides valuable competitive minutes after semi-final disappointment.