Controversial Refereeing Decision in Tanzania: AS FAR Rabat Denied Legitimate Goal Against Young Africans

The match between AS FAR Rabat and their Tanzanian hosts, Young Africans, played today, Saturday, at Amani Stadium in Zanzibar to mark the opening of the CAF Champions League group stage, was marred by significant refereeing controversy after a legitimate goal for AS FAR was disallowed for offside.

The controversial incident occurred in the second half when AS FAR scored a goal that appeared valid according to television replays. However, the assistant referee raised his flag, signaling an unclear offside position, which sparked widespread protests from the bench and surprise among players on the field.

Ivorian Modest Richard Kokora officiated the match, assisted by his compatriots Herman Dederi and Aba Medard Etienne. However, the refereeing crew's decisions caused significant dissatisfaction among AS FAR Rabat fans, who considered the disallowed goal a “grave error” that prevented their team from equalizing at a crucial moment in the match.