French football star Thierry Henry has blasted the officiating at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, AFCON, claiming that the referees are not up to the tournament’s standards.
The Arsenal legend made the statements following the contentious final between Morocco and Senegal, in which Senegalese players attempted to walk off the ground in protest of official decisions.
“The referees are not at the level of the show. All the stuff that happened in those tournaments sometimes is caused by referee mistakes. And I’m not blaming the referee; I’m blaming the people that are not training them to be at the level of the football we’re watching,” Henry said on CBS Sports Golazo.
The final was marked by controversy, with a disallowed goal by Senegal’s Ismaila Sarr and a late penalty awarded to Morocco’s Brahim Díaz.
Henry, although understanding Senegal’s dissatisfaction, denounced their effort to boycott the match.
“Senegal wanting to leave the field was wrong. That’s not the image you want to give, not only for African football, but for any football. You don’t want to do that,” he said.
The former Barcelona striker revealed that his passion for AFCON began with the 1988 edition hosted in Morocco, where Cameroon defeated Nigeria 1-0 in the final.
“I started to watch the Africa Cup of Nations in 1988, and it was actually in Morocco. Cameroon won against Nigeria,” Henry said.
He mentioned that the tournament provided a showcase for talent that would later dominate European football, highlighting legends such as Didier Drogba, Samuel Eto’o, and Austin ‘Jay-Jay’ Okocha.
The Confederation of African Football has suspended Senegalese head coach Pape Thiaw while comprehensive investigations continue.
