At a highly sensitive time, and just before the whistle of the African Champions League final, a refereeing crisis erupted within the corridors of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), igniting the atmosphere of the anticipated confrontation between the Royal Army and Mamelodi Sundowns, putting 'CAF' under unprecedented pressure.

Press reports revealed that the African Confederation is holding a decisive meeting to consider the flood of official complaints submitted by both finalists, objecting to the appointment of Congolese referee Jean-Jacques Ndala to manage the first leg match, scheduled in Pretoria on May 17th.

The wave of anger did not stop at the boundaries of the two clubs but extended to strike the corridors of the executive office itself, where several members expressed their reservations about the decisions of the refereeing committee chaired by Safary Kabine, amidst the controversy that followed Ndala's performance during the African Cup of Nations final between Morocco and Senegal, which increased the tension and raised many question marks.

Amidst these charged atmospheres, Samson Adamu is moving to contain the crisis and calm the situation, with escalating pressures from various concerned parties demanding a review of the decision.

Despite all the controversy raised, the refereeing team for the first leg was confirmed, with Ndala leading it with the assistance of a Congolese crew, while the task of the video assistant referee (VAR) was assigned to Sudanese referee Ahmed Abdel Aziz, assisted by a diverse African crew, in a decision that may increase the intensity of the confrontation before it begins.