He played a key role in the highly anticipated clash between Senegal’s Lions of Teranga and the Ivory Coast Elephants. Selected from hundreds of referees at AFCON 2023 to lead the game between the defending African champions and the host nation, Pierre Ghislain Atcho delivered a disappointing performance. Having made a name for himself in the competition during the Egypt vs. Ghana match (2-2), where he commanded respect from everyone, including Mohamed Salah, Atcho failed to meet the expectations placed on him by CAF.
Pierre Atcho’s disappointing performance Seen as a rising star in African refereeing, Pierre Atcho fell short of CAF’s expectations. In charge of a high-stakes match between two football powerhouses, the Gabonese referee made a significant mistake from the start by overlooking a clear red card for Sadio Mané. This huge oversight was the beginning of a series of errors for Atcho, who became a professional referee only in 2023. The darling of Gabonese refereeing altered the course of the game.
After missing the red card, he overlooked a clear penalty on Ismailla Sarr. This decision later sparked outrage from Senegalese full-back, Krépin Diatta, who accused CAF of corruption after the match. Furthermore, the penalty awarded to Ivory Coast in the last ten minutes was disputed for an offside not called. With such pivotal moments in the game, coupled with leniently issued yellow cards, Pierre Atcho was disqualified for the remainder of the tournament.
Pierre Ghislain Atcho, initialement bien placé pour officier les quarts de finale de la CAN 2023 grâce à sa remarquable gestion du match Ghana – Egypte, ne figure désormais plus sur la liste des arbitres sélectionnés par la CAF pour la suite de la compétition. Malgré les éloges précédents, une vague de critiques suite à sa dernière performance a conduit la confédération, sous la direction de Patrice Motsepe, à écarter le jeune arbitre gabonais, pourtant reconnu pour son excellence sur la scène africaine.
This represents a setback for Gabon, which had positioned its citizen as the potential leading figure in African refereeing. For the duration of the 34th edition of the Africa Cup of Nations, Pierre Atcho, who was overseeing his second match of the tournament, will no longer be seen. Following his participation in the Under-17 World Cup where he refereed three games, the man dubbed the “executioner” of the Senegalese departs Ivory Coast with a tarnished reputation.
CAF’s Response to Criticism
Since the onset of CAN 2023, the refereeing has been generally satisfactory, although teams like Algeria and Tunisia have voiced their complaints early on. It’s noteworthy that the match between Senegal and Ivory Coast significantly marred the commendable efforts of the referees appointed by CAF for this tournament. Attempting to absolve itself, the African football governing body, through its Secretary-General, Veron Mosengo-Omba, chose not to delve into specifics regarding the contentious matches.
“So far, the refereeing has been commended for its quality and high standard. As for the complaints regarding the VAR, it’s common to view refereeing as favorable when one wins, and unfavorable in defeat. I prefer not to engage in this debate. Everyone is entitled to critique, and these critiques are not aimed at me personally. It’s good to critique CAF, but it’s crucial to be fair,” he stated during a press conference.
Source: Afrique Sports
