CAF to pay referees directly in International games

Referees in African international matches will now be paiddirectly by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) in the

wake of Ghanaian official Joseph Lamptey’s life ban.

Previously, referees were paid by the host nation, which CAF has

now admitted created an “ethical challenge.”

Lamptey was banned by FIFA last September after he was found

guilty of “unlawfully influencing (a) match result” when he

incorrectly awarded hosts South Africa a penalty against Senegal

in a World Cup qualifier in November 2016.

A CAF statement on Wednesday, following the confederation’s

executive committee meeting in Morocco, read: “Effective 2018,

indemnities of referees designated for CAF matches will be paid

directly by CAF.

“This historic decision is a materialisation of a campaign

promise by the CAF President (Ahmad Ahmad).

“(Until) now, the regulations required host associations to pay

these indemnities. The decision reduces the financial burden on

national associations and also eliminates an ethical challenge

because it removes the suspicion perceived between national

associations and the referees.”

South Africa won the original game against Senegal 2-1 but the

teams were ordered to replay the match following Lamptey’s

ban. Senegal won the replayed game 2-0 to qualify for this

summer’s finals at their opponents’ expense.