At the heart of the TotalEnergies CAF U-17 Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2025, a special initiative lit up the behind-the-scenes of the tournament: an open-door session for refereeing held at the Kahrama Centre in Casablanca. During two hours of training, the referees had the opportunity to fine-tune their skills under the watchful eye of Souleymane Waberi, CAF Vice-President and Chairman of the Youth Football Committee. On a pitch equipped with eight cameras and a control room dedicated to VAR, the session offered a deep dive into the meticulous work performed by officials ahead of the quarter-final.
In a highly technical setting, reflecting the quality of infrastructure provided by Morocco, the 45 referees involved in the competition (including 10 VAR officials) gathered for a moment of sharing, demonstration, and refinement. The session was carefully divided into areas: one for physical recovery for referees who had officiated the previous day, another for assistant referees, and a third for VAR-specific work. The objectives were clear: to improve positioning, perfect decision-making in the penalty area -- described as the most dangerous zone by Désiré Noumandiez Doué, Chairman of CAF's Referees Committee -- and to enhance VAR review times, which are still sometimes considered too long.
Preparing the Next Generation Today
For Souleymane Waberi, this session fully embodies CAF's philosophy regarding youth football: creating an environment conducive to learning, expressing talent, and preparing for international competitions. "When young people have pitches like this, it's a celebration," he said after the first phase of the tournament, referring to the quality of the spectacle. "Lots of goals are being scored -- beautiful goals. It's great for the young players and for the development of our football in Africa."
The stakes are even higher this year, as the U-17 AFCON is a qualifying tournament for the FIFA U-17 World Cup, with, for the first time, 10 African teams expected to participate.
For Désiré Noumandiez Doué, that means a rigorous selection process based on technical ability, youth, and the capacity to adapt to fast-paced and unpredictable matches: "We prefer to have young referees in a youth setting. It helps them understand the game better, react quicker, and connect more easily with the players."
During this session, a practice match with a local team was included to simulate live match conditions, adjust assistant referees' viewing angles, work on real-time VAR procedures, and strengthen communication among all parts of the officiating team. "We noticed some weaknesses in concentration and positioning.
Women Referees: The Dawn of a New Era
Among the 45 officials selected for this tournament, 13 are women -- a first that symbolises the deep transformation of the African refereeing landscape. "It's a strong signal to women's football," says Doué. "You've all seen how the women have performed on the different pitches. They're making their mark. Hats off to them." Their presence is the result of a clear gender-focused approach, as well as years of dedicated work to give them confidence, tools, and responsibilities. "It allows women to flourish more, without hesitation, especially in what has traditionally been a male-dominated environment," Doué added.
One inspiring figure is Senegalese referee Tabara Mbodji, who represents this rising generation.
"The U-17 Africa Cup of Nations is a well-structured competition where we get to use VAR in a practical setting. You can feel that CAF believes in us. It pushes us to aim higher, to target the top competitions." For Tabara, the goal is clear: "I want to prove that we belong -- not just in Africa but globally."
Female participation is no longer just a quota -- it's becoming a driving force for transformation. At the Casablanca workshops, the women referees received the same feedback, participated in the same drills, and analysed the same VAR sequences as their male counterparts.
Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters
Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox
Eyes on the Future
This open-door day in Casablanca showcased the evolution underway in African refereeing. It is no longer afraid to innovate, it trusts in youth, includes women as key players in its development, and prepares diligently to meet the demands of high-level football. With Morocco's top-tier infrastructure -- praised by Waberi as "one of the countries this year to have developed high-quality facilities" -- the U-17 AFCON is becoming an open-air laboratory of excellence.
In this spirit, African refereeing is equipping itself to support the rise of youth football on the continent and to lay the foundations for a more prominent presence on the global stage. As Waberi summed it up: "This year, Africa is going far -- very far. And refereeing must go with it."
