Mohamed Rafik Aouina has been at the centre of a major controversy after being accused of favouring Algeria during Libya’s 1-1 draw with Tunisia at the UNAF U20 tournament, which serves as a qualifier for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations.
However, the Algerian referee appears to have made the correct decision when a late Libyan counter-attack was stopped in the final seconds.
With Tunisia goalkeeper Slim Bouasker upfield for a corner, Libya regained possession and appeared to have a clear route towards an unguarded goal. An attacker seemed ready to break away, with only one Tunisian defender between him and the vacant net, when the assistant referee raised his flag.
Aouina immediately confirmed the decision. Several Libyan players and members of their coaching staff surrounded the assistant referee, convinced that they had been denied a major opportunity to score a winning goal in an increasingly heated finish.
The unusual position of the goalkeeper made the incident difficult to judge at first glance. But Law 11 of the International Football Association Board (IFAB) does not use the goalkeeper as the reference point for offside. Instead, it refers to the “second-last opponent”.
In a normal situation, the goalkeeper is one of the two players closest to the team’s own goal line. That is why the offside line is usually determined by the last outfield defender.
On this occasion, Bouasker had moved forward for the corner, leaving the Tunisian defender near the goal as the last opponent. At the moment the ball was played, the Libyan attacker was closer to the goal line than both the ball and the second-last Tunisian opponent.
He was therefore in an offside position.
Libya did not have a goal disallowed in the incident. The whistle was blown before the attacker had taken his shot, meaning the decision simply brought the counter-attack to an end.
The fact that the referee was Algerian inevitably intensified the reaction, particularly in a closely contested qualifying tournament. But the suspicion is difficult to sustain when the incident is examined alongside the laws of the game and the standings.
Algeria’s position had already become more difficult after their 3-1 defeat by Morocco. The Atlas Cubs have since secured qualification for the U20 Africa Cup of Nations, while Algeria’s Young Fennecs have four points, two behind Egypt on six.
Their task before Tuesday’s meeting with the Pharaohs is straightforward: Algeria must win to claim the second qualifying place. Even a Libyan victory over Tunisia would not have removed that requirement.
The assistant referee is unlikely to become as famous as Tofiq Bahramov, the Soviet official from Azerbaijan associated with England’s controversial goal in the 1966 World Cup final. But after the attention surrounding this decision, he may have experienced his own small “Bahramov moment” this time with both the footage and the regulations appearing to support the call.
