This is going to get people talking…

This Thursday evening, Nigeria and Gabon face off in Morocco for a spot in the final of the playoff tournament for the 2026 World Cup qualifiers in the Africa zone.

And just as the second half began, the underdog Gabon believed they had won a decisive penalty.

Indeed, during a corner, central defender Aaron Appindangoye was held by the jersey by a Nigerian defender.

The referee did not whistle at first, but the VAR intervened and called him to review the replays!

And to everyone’s surprise, after reviewing the footage, the central referee stuck to his initial decision: no penalty!

A decision that could cause a scandal if Gabon fails to qualify…

As a reminder, the winner of this duel will face the winner of the match between Cameroon and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The grand winner of these Africa zone playoffs will then compete in another tournament during the international window in March, consisting of two teams from CONCACAF, one from the AFC, one from CONMEBOL (Bolivia), and one from the OFC (New Caledonia).

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇫🇷 here.

📸 KENZO TRIBOUILLARD