Why CAF must keep Mauritanian referee Dahane Beida far away from Nigeria’s AFCON matches

By Bunmi Awoyemi
Under no circumstances—none whatsoever—should the Nigeria Football Federation fold its arms and watch CAF foist Dahane Beida of Mauritania on Nigeria in any of our remaining AFCON matches.

This is not paranoia. This is not sentiment. This is not the hysterics of partisan fandom. This is evidence-based alarm, grounded squarely in the FIFA Laws of the Game and the VAR Protocol.

What we are witnessing with Beida is not merely inconsistency; it is a pattern of selective blindness—a refereeing style that oscillates suspiciously depending on the badge on the shirt.

The Cameroon- Morocco disgrace: When VAR was deliberately silenced

In the Cameroon vs Morocco match, Beida committed what may be described, without exaggeration, as a triple assault on refereeing integrity.

1. The Mbeumo Incident: VAR Was Mandatory, Not Optional
Whether the foul on Mbeumo was “soft” or “strong” is irrelevant. Under the VAR Protocol, the threshold for review is not certainty but potential clear and obvious error.
FIFA VAR protocol:
VAR must intervene where a possible penalty incident involves a missed or incorrect decision.
Beida did not even allow VAR to do its job. He simply waived play on—judge, jury, and executioner in one breath. That alone is a breach of protocol.

2. Punch to the Face: Serious Foul Play or Violent Conduct
A Moroccan player punched a Cameroonian player in the face. The only ambiguity was location—inside or outside the penalty area.
This is precisely why VAR exists.
Law 12 – Fouls and Misconduct (FIFA):
Striking or attempting to strike an opponent with excessive force constitutes violent conduct.
If it occurred inside the box, it is:
A penalty
A possible red card
If outside, still:
A direct free kick
A possible red card
Beida chose neither. He chose nothing.

3. Handball + Simulation: A hat-trick of infractions ignored
Immediately after the punch:
The same Moroccan player handled the ball
Inside the penalty area
With his arm clearly away from his body
Making his body unnaturally bigger
Law 12 – Handball:
A hand/arm is considered to have made the body unnaturally bigger when it is not in a natural position and creates a barrier.
Then, to crown it all, he:
Fell theatrically
Rolled on the ground
Clutched his face
Pretended to be the victim.
Law 12 – Simulation:
Any player who attempts to deceive the referee by feigning injury must be cautioned.
Three offences.
Same player.
Same sequence.
Zero consequences. Zero VAR review. Zero accountability.
This was not refereeing. This was abdication.

The Nigeria- Tanzania contrast: When VAR suddenly became holy scripture

Now enter Bright Osayi-Samuel.
Aerial duel.
Eyes on the ball.
Arms in a natural position.
No deliberate movement.
No body enlargement.
Law 12 – Handball (Clarification):
It is not an offence if the ball touches a player’s hand/arm when it is close to the body and does not make the body unnaturally bigger.
Yet Beida:
Stopped play
Summoned VAR
Reviewed the footage
Awarded a penalty.
So let us be clear:
Cameroon: punch + handball + simulation and no VAR.
Nigeria: natural arm position and VAR summoned, penalty awarded
This is not interpretation.
This is selective enforcement.

A pattern not an accident

These are not isolated moments. Beida’s AFCON officiating record is littered with:
Reluctance to protect players from violent conduct.
Hyper-aggressive application of VAR against certain teams
Total reluctance to use VAR when it may inconvenience others.
This is how tournaments are corrupted—not with grand conspiracies, but with small, repeated acts of refereeing imbalance.

NFF must act now not after damage is done

The NFF has a duty of care to the Super Eagles. Silence is not neutrality; silence is consent.
They must:
Formally write CAF
Cite Law 12 and the VAR Protocol.
Reference these specific matches and incidents.
Object preemptively, not reactively
Justice delayed in refereeing is justice denied on the scoreboard.

Nigeria cannot afford a referee who treats VAR like a personal convenience—switching it on when it suits him and disabling it when it threatens his narrative.

Just around the time AFCON 2025 started, CAF confirmed that Mauritania will no longer be part of West Africa Zone A, it had been moved to the North African Football Union (UNAF). Mauritania requested this switch even though it is located in the West African subregion. It probably saw itself as more North African than West African.

This switch may or may not be one of the reasons this referee chose to show extreme bias against Cameroon when it played against its fellow North African team, Morocco. He will now be refereeing a lot in intra-North African football competitions, unlike the intra-WAFU competitions he once officiated.

Final Word
This is not about Mauritania.
This is not about Morocco.
This is not about Tanzania.
This is about credibility, consistency, and competitive fairness.
AFCON is not a laboratory for officiating experiments.
Nigeria is not a sacrificial lamb.

Dahane Beida must not referee another Nigerian AFCON match. Period.

Dr.. Bunmi Awoyemi is a Real Estate Developer and Builder