He officiated the opening match and the final of the AFCON 2019 in Egypt. Recently elected president of the Cameroon Association of Football Referees (ACAF), Alioum Sidi speaks out on the accusations of match-fixing that plague the championship in his country Cameroon.
Sport News Africa: On February 23, Fécafoot suspended four referees for "serious failures in the exercise of their duties". As an international referee, how do you read this decision?
Alioum SIDI: We have noticed that young referees are more and more guilty of misconduct on a daily basis. Professional faults, most of which are errors of judgment or refereeing decisions that were not well appreciated or that did not deserve to be taken. Soccer referees are also human and they can make mistakes. And as they say: to err is human.
To err is human, you say, but with Cameroonian referees this is becoming recurrent. Moreover, several of them are accused of fixing matches... Is it possible that a referee is paid to make a team win?
Everything is possible in soccer. Personally, I don't believe much in this kind of practices. I don't believe that our young referees can so easily put their careers on the line by accepting bribes. In soccer, there is a lot of talk about referee bribery and match-fixing, but we have never seen any tangible evidence of such a practice.
That's why I don't believe in it very much because in most cases it's easier for clubs to justify a defeat by accusing the central judge of officiating in favor of the opponent. We have rejuvenated the Cameroonian arbitration. And all these young people want to go very far. I am convinced that they can not take such risks.
"A good referee is a person with good morals"
Have you personally in the course of your international career, heard or seen dealings to favor one or more clubs, or national teams?
These are things you just hear in rumors. Personally, I have never been approached by anyone for this kind of practice. When you are an impartial, professional and strict referee, it is impossible that someone approaches you to make indecent proposals. We know that you will refuse to be manipulated. And that you will inform the competent authorities. A corrupt referee cannot go far in his career.
Who is a good referee?
First of all, he is a professional, that is to say someone who has been trained for this job of referee. He must be on the field only to enforce the rules of the game. Then he is a good athlete. He must be physically tough. A good referee is also a person of good character. He is also someone who is humble. He must be uncompromising, but also flexible when he realizes that he has made a bad decision. He has to listen to his colleagues with whom he runs a game. Finally, he must love soccer.
What does a Cameroonian soccer referee earn? How is he paid?
The soccer referee cannot claim the same salary as the players. The referee receives compensation for each match. It is true that recently, we have had arrears. But the president of the Federation has taken steps to ensure that everything is back in order. They have been able to receive all their allowances and other expenses of match. These allowances are paid on the basis of a number of scales put in place.
According to the new policy of the Federation, a referee must first have a job. The refereeing profession is only a support. There are some who live only on refereeing and it is difficult for them to make ends meet.
🇨🇲 Un nouveau scandale dans le football Camerounais où des arbitres ont été pris en flagrant délit de corruption, poussant la FÉCAFOOT à ouvrir une enquête #SNA pic.twitter.com/5OHcJ4tkK5
— Sport News Africa (@snewsafrica) March 3, 2023
As president of the Cameroon Association of Football Referees (ACAF), what should be done to improve the working conditions and the level of Cameroonian officials?
My fight is to do everything so that the Cameroonian soccer referee is comfortable and happy to do this job. We want less and less accusations of corruption against referees. We want to find solutions to improve their living conditions through continuous exchanges with the Federation. We will also increase the number of training courses to raise the level of our referees.
