Moroccan referee Jalal Jayed has been appointed as the centre official for Saturday’s Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) 2025 third-place playoff between Nigeria and Egypt.
The bronze medal clash will take place at the Mohammed V Stadium, Casablanca, with kick-off scheduled for 5:00 p.m. as two of Africa’s most successful football nations battle to finish the tournament on a high note.
Jayed will be supported by a largely North African officiating crew. Fellow Moroccans Zakaria Brinsi and Akarkad Mostafa will serve as first and second assistant referees, while Hassani Khalil of Tunisia is named as third assistant. Kenya’s Peter Waweru Kamaku will act as the fourth official.
Video Assistant Referee (VAR) duties will be handled by Lahlou Benbraham of Algeria, with Haythem Guirat (Tunisia) and Hamza El Fariq (Morocco) assisting. The referee assessor for the match is Sinko Zeli of Ivory Coast.
Super Eagles and Pharaohs both enter the playoff following semifinal defeats and will be eager to secure the bronze medal as a consolation prize at AFCON 2025. All eyes will now be on Mohammed V Stadium as the stage is set for a high-stakes North-West African showdown.
Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. On the back of domestic engagement since 2008, he began his international career journey at Goal.com in February 2014, where he served as an African women's football correspondent for nearly eight years. During his tenure at Goal.com, Samuel covered major events such as three Women's Africa Cup of Nations (2016, 2018, 2022) and the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada plus 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. His work at Goal.com earned him widespread acclaim, particularly for his in-depth profiles of African football stars, notably Asisat Oshoala, whose rise he documented from her early years to her breakthrough at the FIFA U20 Women's World Cup in 2014. Prior to his role at Goal.com, Samuel freelanced for various print and broadcast media outlets in Nigeria, including Graphics Newspaper, Radio Nigeria, Grace FM, and Savid Newspaper. His extensive experience and expertise led to his appointment to the Nigeria Football Federation's Standing Committee on Women's Football Development from 2016 to 2018. Since February 2018, Samuel has been the Social Media Manager for Nigeria's women's national teams.In 2019, Samuel joined the Confederation of African Football (CAF) as a women's football content contributor and was promoted to Women's Football Editor in 2021. His contributions to women's football continued as he worked as a Media Consultant for Content Creation and Editorials at the 2022 CAF Women's Champions League. Currently, Samuel also serves as the spokesman for the Nigeria Women Football League, further solidifying his influence and dedication to the growth of women's football in Africa.
