The Confederation of African Football (CAF) announced yesterday the appointment of Congolese referee Jean Jacques Ndala Ngambo to officiate the first leg of the CAF Champions League final, scheduled between South Africa's Mamelodi Sundowns and Morocco's Royal Army Club in Pretoria on May 17.

This decision comes despite the significant controversy that accompanied the same ruling in the last Africa Cup of Nations final, when he officiated the match between Senegal and Morocco in Rabat. The match witnessed dramatic events that ended with Senegal's players walking off the field in protest against a penalty awarded after a VAR review.

The match turned into a football crisis after being halted for about 15 minutes before it resumed and ended with Senegal losing 1-0 after extra time. Later, the African Confederation decided to penalize Senegal by considering them as having lost 3-0 due to withdrawal.

Despite his absence from the FIFA list of referees for the upcoming World Cup, Nadal remains on the list of African Confederation referees, having previously participated in the Club World Cup. This has led to renewed discussions about his performance and management of crucial matches following his selection to officiate another continental final.