Former Egyptian referee reveals key officiating errors in Tunisia vs Libya match

Former Egyptian international referee Nasser Abbas has sparked widespread controversy after criticizing the officiating performance of Moroccan Hamza Farik during the Tunisia vs Libya match, which was part of the third round of the Africa Cup of Nations Qualification 2027. The match ended with Libya winning by two goals to nil.

Abbas highlighted key refereeing incidents from the match in a video posted on his social media accounts, stating that the referee and his assistants made significant errors that could have changed the course and outcome of the game.

The match saw several moments that sparked protests from the Tunisia side, most notably the failure to award a penalty for Firas Chaouat in the first half, after the ball struck the hand of a Libya defender on two occasions during the Tunisian striker's header attempt.

The assistant referee disallowed a goal scored by substitute Anis Ben Slimane in the 59th minute for offside, despite protests from the Tunisia players and coaching staff.

Tunisia's protests extended to Libya's second goal, scored by Hamdou El Houni in the 64th minute, after television replays showed a foul by the Libyan striker against one of Tunisia's defenders before the goal was scored.

Nasser Abbas has stated that the Moroccan referee made significant errors, explaining: "The mistakes of Moroccan referee Hamza Al-Farq were clear and very impactful. He did not award a clear penalty for Firas Chaouat in the first half, and he also disallowed a legitimate goal for the Tunisia striker due to an offside that did not exist at all; the striker was behind the defender. If there had been VAR, the goal would have been awarded immediately."

Regarding the second goal for the Libya national team, the former Egyptian referee pointed out that it came after a clear foul committed by the Libyan striker against a Tunisian player, but the referee allowed play to continue without calling the foul.

In contrast, Abbas defended the decision to award the penalty from which Ali Youssif scored Libya's first goal before the end of the first half, affirming the correctness of the decision by 100%, after Ali Maâloul pulled the Libyan national team's striker and prevented him from reaching the ball.

Libya secured the match with a 2-0 victory, raising their tally to 4 points from three matches, and advancing to second place, level on points with Uganda, who have the same tally from two matches, while Tunisia remain on two points in fourth and last place.