The Confederation of African Football (CAF) Referees Committee has appointed controversial Congolese referee Jean-Jacques Ndala to officiate the first leg of the 2026 CAF Champions League final between FAR Rabat of Morocco and South African heavyweight Mamelodi Sundowns.
Ndala, who came under heavy criticism due to his handling of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations final between hosts Morocco and Senegal will officiate the first leg that will take place on May 17 in Pretoria, South Africa.
CAF also confirmed that Somali referee Omar Artan has been picked to officiate the second leg of the final, billed for May 24 in Rabat, Morocco.
Meanwhile, Ndala was left out of the list of referees selected for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, as FIFA named seven centre referees, 10 assistant referees, and two Video Assistant Referees (VAR) from across Africa.
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The exclusion of Ndala may not be unconnected to the controversy that surrounded his handling of the AFCON final held in Morocco.
Ndala, who took charge of the match, found himself at the centre of attention after the game descended into chaos, with Senegal players walking off the pitch in protest.
The game was halted for several minutes before it resumed. Senegal won the tie 1-0, but Morocco was later declared the winner by the CAF appeals committee.
