The Ligue nationale de football professionnel (LNFP) has reorganised Morocco’s national refereeing department, removing former international referee Redouane Jiyed as its technical director after weeks of criticism over officiating and the department’s management.
The change was officially announced on Friday 30 October, a day after LNFP president Abdesslam Belkchour publicly voiced his dissatisfaction with the state of refereeing in Moroccan football.
Abderrahim El Arjoun has been appointed to lead the Direction nationale de l’arbitrage (DNA). His task will be to improve a department that has regularly faced controversy during the Moroccan championship.
The LNFP said the appointment was intended to “bring new momentum to national refereeing, strengthen the mechanisms for its development and improve its level”.
Jiyed had held the technical director’s position for two years but has not been completely removed from the DNA. He will now head the initial and continuing training of referees, an area in which the league plans to use his experience both in Morocco and at international level.
The restructuring follows a marked deterioration in relations between Jiyed and sections of the refereeing body. According to Le Site Info, a number of referees, particularly younger officials, had criticised his methods of communication and management.
Those tensions are understood to have gradually weakened Jiyed’s position within the department.
Belkchour had signalled that changes could be forthcoming during an interview with Radio Mars on Thursday, when he openly criticised the situation surrounding Moroccan refereeing.
The LNFP president said he was “dissatisfied with the performances of the referees, the DNA and even its director personally”, adding that he wanted to “personify and clarify things”.
“We wanted more progress and a correction of the shortcomings. He is one of the best Moroccan referees, who joined the DNA immediately after his retirement. At that time, he had good relations with the referees. But many of them have recently asked for his resignation,” Belkchour said.
The leadership change was confirmed 24 hours later.
Yahya Hadka and Mohamed El Kazzaz had also been mentioned as possible replacements for Jiyed, but the LNFP ultimately selected El Arjoun.
Jiyed’s reassignment means the former international referee will remain involved in the development of officials, while El Arjoun takes responsibility for the wider administration and technical direction of the DNA.
The move opens a new phase for Moroccan refereeing, whose credibility and standards of performance have continued to attract criticism. The impact of the reorganisation, and whether it can ease tensions within the refereeing body, will now be closely watched.