CAF has handed a one-year ban to referee Antoine Essouma of Cameroon after finding him guilty of a below par performance during a Confederation Cup group stage match between Raja Casablanca and RS Berkane on Sunday.
The all-Moroccan clash ended in a goalless draw, but Raja felt they should have won the game if not for a “disastrous officiating”, and immediately filed a complaint to CAF, with threats of pulling out of the competition and boycotting the upcoming Super Cup with Esperance Tunis in Doha, Qatar on March 29.
After viewing footage of the said match CAF Referees Commission concluded that “it is beyond doubt that official Essouma made a lot of terrible calls.”
“The performance of the referee had an impact on the final result of the match and thus Antoine Max Depadoux Effa Essouma is hereby suspended for one year,” the continent football’s governing body said in a statement.
Reacting to the decision, Raja said it would not restore their two points. Their wish to have the game replayed or victory awarded was turned down.
Raja, who are the CAF Confederation Cup defending champions, sit bottom of Group C with three points after four matches played and are on the verge of elimination, with two round of games to end the campaign.
