Makueni County Governor Mutula Kilonzo Junior has hilariously called for the investigation of the centre referee who officiated the African Cup of Nations (AFCON) final match pitting Senegal against Morocco.

Taking to his official X account on Monday, January 19, 2026, while congratulating Senegal for winning the high-stakes match and lifting the AFCON trophy, Mutula Junior claimed that the Confederation of African Football (CAF) should investigate Jean Jacques Ngambo Ndala due to the drama that unfolded during the match that he officiated.

He also hailed Senegal team captain Sadio Mane for his conduct during the chaos that saw his teammates walk off the field.

“The referee of the AFCON final needs to be investigated by CAF. That said, Sadio Mane will go down in the history books for his overall conduct in the finals. Congratulations. Senegal,” he stated.

2025 AFCON final drama

A wild turn of events erupted at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Morocco on the night of Sunday, January 18, 2026, during the AFCON final after the centre referee awarded a controversial penalty to the host country, Morocco, following a foul on Brahim Diaz. 

The referee had awarded a very soft foul for contact between Abdoulaye Seck and Morocco captain Achraf Hakimi.

With eight minutes having originally been added on, Ndala was advised by VAR to check a tug by West Ham defender El Hadji Malick Diouf on Diaz from a corner, with the Congolese deciding to award the spot kick.

The penalty call led to uproar from the Senegalese team, who threatened to leave the pitch but were later called back by their captain, Sadio Mane, and parity was restored. 

However, Brahim Diaz, in an unlikely fashion, missed the penalty, which could have seen his side winners of the 2025 AFCON, and the match headed to extra time.

Pape Gueye’s extra-time goal was enough to seal a second AFCON title for Senegal.

Chances did come at both ends after Gueye’s strike four minutes into extra time, but the closest Morocco came to an equaliser was when Nayef Aguerd powered a header against the bar from a corner.

And as the rain poured down in Rabat, Morocco’s dream of a first continental crown since 1976 was washed away dramatically.