Ray Quarcoo warns poor officiating will cost Africa on the world stage
Goodwill sports ambassador Ray Quarcoo has renewed his long-standing call for improved officiating standards in African sport, warning that persistent refereeing lapses risk undermining the credibility of continental competitions and disadvantaging African teams on the global stage.
The former president of the Ghana Boxing Federation said the just-ended Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco once again exposed what he described as declining standards in officiating, particularly in football, with several refereeing decisions during the tournament sparking widespread debate.
Quarcoo, who has campaigned for improved officiating across boxing and football for decades, said repeated errors by match officials suggested that lessons were not being learnt despite exposure to international competitions and modern technology such as the Video Assistant Referee.
Reflecting on the tournament, he said in a post-tournament comment: “You know I have been preaching about good officiating in all sporting disciplines for many years, but we keep with nursing say mistakes buy some referees.”
He argued that the recurrence of basic officiating errors, including inconsistent foul calls, questionable disciplinary decisions and controversial use of VAR, continued to erode confidence among players and fans, while also damaging the reputation of African football beyond the continent.
Quarcoo warned that the consequences extended beyond domestic and continental competitions, insisting that poor officiating standards at African tournaments left teams ill-prepared for major global events such as the World Cup and the Olympic Games, where refereeing is less forgiving.
“The continent will be the loser in the end especially at the world stage,” he cautioned.
He called on the Confederation of African Football and world governing body FIFA to enforce stricter accountability measures, including sanctions against referees who repeatedly fall short of expected standards, to protect the integrity of African sport.
“When our referees live up to expectation, then our teams do not have to struggle when they get to the world stage,” Quarcoo added.
His comments come in the wake of a dramatic AFCON final in Rabat, where Senegal defeated hosts Morocco 1-0 after extra time to secure their second continental title. The match was overshadowed by a chaotic end to regulation time, marked by a controversial penalty decision awarded to Morocco following a VAR review, lengthy delays and protests from Senegalese players.
Morocco’s Brahim Diaz missed the resulting spot kick, attempting a Panenka that was easily saved by Senegal goalkeeper Edouard Mendy, before midfielder Pape Gueye struck the decisive goal four minutes into extra time.
The incident, which dominated post-match discussion, has been cited by Quarcoo as a clear example of why African football must urgently address officiating standards if it is to command greater respect and fairness at home and abroad.
