CAN 2025: CAF Launches Investigation After Algeria-Nigeria Violence

The Confederation of African Football has opened an investigation into the serious unrest that marred the quarter-finals of CAN 2025, particularly during the Algeria-Nigeria match, amid growing tensions, refereeing controversies, and suspicions of institutional bias.

The Diplomatic Crisis of African Football

Two days after the stormy clash between Algeria and Nigeria, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) announced a disciplinary investigation. In a terse statement released Monday, January 12, the body also addressed misconduct during the Cameroon-Morocco game. In both cases, the same sanitized language was used: “unacceptable behavior” from players, staff, and even journalists.

CAF claims to have gathered video evidence and official match reports, especially concerning incidents following the Algeria-Nigeria quarter-final, played in Marrakech. In an already tense atmosphere, the situation erupted at the final whistle.

A Non-Whistled Penalty: The Spark of a Predictable Blaze

The trigger? A blatant handball by Nigeria’s Junior Ajayi in the box after a cross from Farès Chaïbi — completely ignored by the referee. In a tournament already plagued by repeated and sometimes grotesque refereeing errors, this perceived injustice ignited a powder keg among Algerian ranks.

Luca Zidane, Algeria’s goalkeeper and a face of a generation under pressure, found himself in a heated altercation with Fisayo Dele-Bashiru. Staff had to intervene to prevent a full-scale brawl. On the pitch, the referee was directly confronted by several Algerian staff members and had to be escorted off the field.

But the tensions did not stay confined to the turf. In the stands, clashes broke out between Algerian supporters and stadium security — scenes widely shared on social media. In the mixed zone, journalists themselves reportedly got into physical altercations, prompting further intervention.

An Official Complaint and Deepening Distrust

While acknowledging the match result, the Algerian Football Federation (FAF) officially filed a complaint with both FIFA and CAF, denouncing the refereeing decisions and requesting a formal investigation. A rare move, reflecting the growing mistrust of many African nations toward the continent’s football governance, often seen as opaque and susceptible to external — especially Anglo-Saxon — influence.

This perception of selective enforcement is reinforced by the Cameroon-Morocco affair, where the Indomitable Lions denounced a missed penalty call on Bryan Mbeumo. None of these incidents are isolated; rather, they contribute to a broader climate of systemic suspicion.

A Tournament Under Surveillance and Strain

What was meant to be a celebration of African football is rapidly devolving into an orchestrated chaos, where moral order is sacrificed on the altar of spectacle and marketing. Behind CAF’s sterile statements looms the specter of a sport increasingly shaped by diplomatic pressure, backroom influence, and institutional inertia.

It will take far more than a simple disciplinary commission to restore credibility to a tournament struggling to assert its legitimacy. Football, as a reflection of global order, does not escape its implicit rules: favoritism, networks, clientelism — all present and accounted for.