Today, the Moroccan refereeing system witnessed a sudden and strict decision, represented by the dismissal of the entire Moroccan refereeing directorate, except for Ridwan Jaid who retained his position. This decisive decision comes from the technical committee overseeing refereeing, in an attempt to address the deteriorating conditions recently experienced by Moroccan refereeing, which stirred wide controversy in sports circles.
Journalistic reports indicate that this dismissal was a direct reaction to the noticeable decline in refereeing standards since the new technical administration led by Ridwan Jaid took over. Despite retaining Jaid in his position, the directorate will undergo broad structural changes, including the return of refereeing experts Bouchaib Lharrach and Abderrahim Al-Arjoune, in addition to appointing new members. Expectations also point to the possible use of foreign expertise to strengthen the national cadres within the new directorate.
The past few days have not been calm in the Moroccan refereeing scene, as there was a state of boiling tension and unrest following the announcement of the referees’ rankings for the past season. This ranking caused a significant shock among referees across various divisions, especially the referees for the 2026 World Cup, headed by Jalal Jaid. The directorate ranked him sixth, despite expectations that he would occupy the first place due to his competence and excellence in managing important matches during the World Cup, raising questions about the evaluation criteria adopted by the Moroccan refereeing directorate.
Many problems have faced Moroccan refereeing since Ridwan Jaid assumed the presidency of the directorate, starting from repeated protests by referees and serious refereeing errors, to internal conflicts with several referees. One of the most notable conflicts was behind the scenes with referee Bushra Al-Karboubi, who had previously decided to retire from refereeing after being excluded from a training camp, then retracted her decision without receiving any response. This situation eventually pushed Al-Karboubi to move to Tahiti to continue her refereeing career after her withdrawal from retirement was rejected in Morocco.
