CAF: Doue appointed Director of Refereeing

The Ivorian Noumandiez Doue has recently been appointed Director of Refereeing by CAF to replace Seychellois Eddy Maillet. Doue will be responsible for the reorganization of African refereeing, which has been decried in recent years by the poor performance of certain „men in black” on the continent.

Kept secret by CAF for several days, the appointment of the former Ivorian international referee, Noumandiez Doue has become official. By succeeding Eddy Mallet, the new boss of African refereeing must restore the image of referees on the continent at a time when their performances are increasingly criticized during international competitions. "Yes, it's official, I’m the new CAF Refereeing Director," said Noumandiez Doue, when he was contacted by phone in Cairo where he currently is for the formalities of the transfer of charges. The former FIFA referee is now brought back at the top of the African refereeing. He will take care, in collaboration with his new team, of the continuous improvement of the level of the referees through training, matche appointments and the supervision of all the activities related to the refereeing on the continent. He will also deal with disputes that will be brought to his attention. The new director will also have to face the often virulent criticism coming from the African countries.

This appointment is a great reward for Noumandiez Doue. Aged 51, he is considered one of the referees with the richest background and record in Côte d'Ivoire and one of the most "capped" in Africa. He was truly propelled onto the continental scene in 2009 when he officiated the final of the first edition of CHAN in Côte d'Ivoire (2009). Thereafter, everything went very quickly for the referee coming from the western region of Côte d'Ivoire. He was also selected for the U-17 AFCON two years later and took part in the 2010, 2012, 2013 and 2015 AFCONs. In 2011, he officiated in the Champions League final and was named CAF's Referee of the Year. Doue reached the pinnacle of his career in 2014 when he refereed at the FIFA World Cup in Brazil.

In his country, he was the President of the Central Committee of Referees (CCA) from 2016 to 2022. Appointed FIFA instructor a few years ago, he was Eddy Maillet's assistant since November 2021, before taking the reins of the African refereeing. Pharmacist by profession, Noumandiez Doue is renowned for his competence, but above all for his rigour in his work that earned him enmity from some Ivorian referees who are currently divided into four groups and made him quit his position in his home country earlier this year.

Source: Afriki Presse