The boxes risk raining. Mahmood Ali Mahmood Ismail will be on the whistle for the last round of 16 of the 2025 African Cup of Nations. The Sudanese will be at the helm of the meeting between Ivory Coast, defending champion, and Burkina Faso, this Tuesday at the Marrakech Stadium.
The 38-year-old referee operated during four CAN matches between 2024 and this edition. During the group stage, he handed out four cards during the game won by South Africa against Angola (2-1). An average figure. During the previous edition, Mahmood Ismail had respectively drawn four warnings during Senegal-Cameroon and five during the Ivorian rout against Equatorial Guinea (4-0).
The reassembled stallions
During his last round of 16 of the African Cup, he became one of the major players in Morocco-South Africa. The result: four yellow cards, the expulsion of Sofyan Amrabat and a penalty awarded to the Moroccans, but missed by Achraf Hakimi at the end of a game which resulted in the elimination of the Atlas Lions.
This new meeting will not be an easy task for the Sudanese, especially since the Burkinabés seem to be angry with the refereeing body since their defeat against Algeria (1-0). Bertrand Traoré was fined $10,000 after his comments after the match. “It’s a shame for African football. There are beautiful stadiums, good supporters but the referees ruin the match! », had launched the captain of the Stallions. Mahmood Ismail is warned.
