Senegal coach Aliou Cisse criticized the arbitration in Africa, saying that the performance of referees in the continent stands in the way of the development of football in the region, and expressed his support for the idea of using referees from outside the continent.
Cissé led Senegal to crown the African Nations Cup at the beginning of this year, and continued his distinguished career by obtaining the qualification card for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, after defeating the Egyptian team on penalties.
However, this successful journey did not prevent the 46-year-old coach from talking about arbitration in Africa, and he joined the list of referees' critics because of their performance and mistakes affecting the results of many matches.
In statements quoted by the French website Onze Mondial from an interview with the French newspaper Le Monde, Cisse answered a question about the obstacle to the progress of African football, and said, "It is arbitration, arbitration is a scandal on the African continent. We do not know how. We are dealing with this issue. Even those who are considered good rulers disappoint us. I will go further: Why don't we look for rulers in Europe?"
He believed that hiring referees from South America during the last African Nations Cup in Cameroon was a successful experience, and said, "I loved the experience, and it did not bother me. When we talk about refereeing mistakes, we are asked to stop complaining, but until we find a solution to this problem, the concern will continue about level of play.
The Senegalese coach expressed his understanding of Algeria coach Djamel Belmadi's repeated protest and his talk about refereeing, and said, "I understand him because I live like other coaches. These refereeing problems have consequences for our level of play; Senegal likes to play sharply, our opponents know that, and during matches, They do everything to break the pace and make mistakes. But the referees never punish them and that prevents us from developing our best football. In the World Cup, you will see something else, the referees will not be that good."
Cisse indicated that he receives requests not to talk about referees, and said, "They ask me not to talk about refereeing, lest the referees target the Senegal team. But who will do this? I will not disrespect anyone, I am African and I want football to advance, but for that We must be listened to."
The matches of the decisive role to qualify for the World Cup in Qatar were the latest episode in a series of protests about arbitration in Africa, and the matches of Senegal, Egypt, Algeria and Cameroon accounted for the lion’s share of comments regarding the referee’s performance and its role in influencing the final outcome of the match.