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  • 21 Aug, 2019

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Ahmed Al-Kaf
Ahmed Abu Bakar Said Al-Kaf (Arabic: أحمد أبو بكر سعيد الكاف; born 6 March 1983) is an Omani professional football referee. He has been a full international for FIFA since 2010. He has served as the referee of numerous matches, such as the 2016 AFC Champions League final between Jeonbuk Hyundai and Al Ain FC, the second round of the 2018 AFC Champions League Final.

Al-Kaf's rulings have been questioned in recent years. In the 2020 AFC U-23 Championship Quarter Finals, he gave away a controversial penalty in the 78th minute, and awarded Saudi Arabia a free kick just outside the box. However, video assistant referees later changed it to a penalty. In October 2024, Al-Kaf was accused of making biased decisions during the 2026 World Cup qualification match between Bahrain and Indonesia, such as allowing the game to go on longer than planned. This led to Bahrain scoring an equalizer, tying the match. While Indonesian fans were outraged at Al-Kaf's decisions, the Oman Football Association defended him while claiming that they were investigating the incident. As a result of Al-Kaf's controversial judgments, the Football Associations of Thailand and Indonesia sent complaint letters to the Asian Football Confederation and FIFA, respectively, questioning the fairness and integrity of his rulings.

Early career

Ahmed Al-Kaf was born March 6, 1983 in Oman. After receiving his FIFA license in 2010, he was entrusted with officiating various international matches. He served as the referee of the AFC Champions League final twice. Al-Kaf served as the referee for the 2016 AFC Champions League final match between South Korean team Jeonbuk Hyundai and Emirati team Al Ain. In the second round of the 2018 AFC Champions League Final, Al-Kaf served as the referee. Throughout his career, Al-Kaf has officiated 114 matches, issuing a total of 343 yellow cards and 10 red cards.

Games officiated

2014 Asian Games – Men's tournament
Date Local Result Visitor Site Phase Yellow card Yellow card Yellow-red card Red card Penalty References
15 September 2014 IR Iran U23 1 – 4 Vietnam U23 Ansan Wa~ Stadium Group stage 6 0 0 0
17 September 2014 Malaysia U23 4 – 0 Laos U23 Ansan Wa Stadium Fourth official 0 0 0 0
18 September 2014 Pakistan U23 0 – 2 Korea DPR U23 Hwaseong Stadium Group stage 3 1 0 0
21 September 2014 Laos U23 0 – 2 Korea Republic U23 Hwaseong Stadium Group stage 2 0 0 0
22 September 2014 Hong Kong, China U23 0 – 0 Bangladesh U23 Hwaseong Stadium Fourth official 0 0 0 0
28 September 2014 Saudi Arabia U23 0 – 3 Iraq U23 Hwaseong Stadium Group stage 4 0 0 0
30 September 2014 Korea Republic U23 2 – 0 Thailand U23 Sungui Arena Park Fourth official 0 0 0 0
2014 AFF Championship
Date Local Result Visitor Site Phase Yellow card Yellow card Yellow-red card Red card Penalty References
23 November 2014 Singapore 1 – 2 Thailand National Stadium Fourth official 0 0 0 0
26 November 2014 Malaysia 2 – 3 Thailand Jalan Besar Stadium Group stage 3 0 0 0
29 November 2014 Singapore 1 – 3 Malaysia National Stadium Group stage 6 0 0 0
2018 AFF Championship
Date Local Result Visitor Site Phase Yellow card Yellow card Yellow-red card Red card Penalty References
2 December 2018 Malaysia 0 – 0 Thailand Bukit Jalil National Stadium Group stage 3 0 0 0
2019 AFC Asian Cup (United Arab Emirates)
Date Match card Venue Round
6 January 2019  Australia –  Jordan Hazza bin Zayed Stadium Group stage
16 January 2019  Vietnam –  Yemen Hazza bin Zayed Stadium Group stage

International club tournaments

AFC Cup

AFC Cup
Date Local Result Visitor Site Phase Yellow card Yellow card Yellow-red card Red card Penalty References
12 March 2014 Al-Riffa SC 2 – 0 Shabab Al-Ordon Club Riffa Group stage 6 0 0 0
9 April 2014 Al-Wahda SC 1 – 4 Hidd SCC Riffa Group stage 1 0 0 0
22 April 2014 Yangon United FC 1 – 4 Vissai Ninh Bình FC Rangoon Group stage 2 0 0 2
12 May 2015 Taraji Wadi Al-Nes 1 – 1 Hidd SCC Al-Ram Group stage 5 0 0 0
25 August 2014 Johor Darul Takzim FC 1 – 1 South China Johor Bahru Quarter finals 2 0 0 1
9 February 2016 Tripoli SC 0 – 0 FC Alay Osh Tripoli Preliminary phase 2 0 0 0
14 September 2016 Bengaluru 1 – 0 Tampines Rovers FC Bangalore Quarter finals 2 0 0 0

AFC Champions League Elite

AFC Champions League Elite
Date Local Result Visitor Site Phase Yellow card Yellow card Yellow-red card Red card Penalty References
25 February 2015 Brisbane Roar 0 – 1 Beijing Sinobo Guoan Gold Coast Group stage 2 0 1 0
4 March 2015 Al-Sadd Sports Club 1 – 0 Al Hilal SFC Doha Group stage 5 0 0 0
18 March 2015 Al-Ahli Saudi FC 2 – 0 Tractor S.C. Jeddah Group stage 1 0 0 0
7 April 2015 Buriram United 1 – 2 Gamba Osaka Buriram Group stage 4 0 0 0
21 April 2015 Urawa Red Diamonds 1 – 2 Suwon Bluewings Saitama Group stage 0 0 0 0
2 March 2016 Gamba Osaka 1 – 1 Melbourne Victory Suita Group stage 2 0 0 0
16 March 2016 El Jaish SC 1 – 0 Nasaf Qarshi Doha Group stage 1 0 0 0
5 April 2016 Al-Duhail SC 4 – 0 Al-Nassr Doha Group stage 4 1 0 0
4 May 2015 Jeonbuk Motors 2 – 2 Jiangsu Suning Jeonju Group stage 4 0 0 2
25 May 2016 El Jaish SC 2 – 4 Al-Duhail SC Doha Round of 16 4 1 0 1
14 September 2016 Jeonbuk Motors 2 – 1 Al Ain FC Jeonju Final 3 0 0 1

Stars League

Stars League
Date Local Result Visitor Site Phase Yellow card Yellow card Yellow-red card Red card Penalty References
17 October 2015 Al-Khor 2 – 4 Al-Rayyan Thani bin Jassim Stadium Group stage 2 0 0 0
28 October 2017 Al-Duhail 1 – 1 Al-Gharafa Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium Group stage 4 0 0 0

AFC World Cup Qualifiers

AFC World Cup Qualifiers
Date Local Result Visitor Site Phase Yellow card Yellow card Yellow-red card Red card Penalty References
6 June 2024 Jordan 3 – 0 Tajikistan Amman International Stadium Group stage 4 0 0 0
5 September 2024 Uzbekistan 1 – 0 North Korea Milliy Stadium Group stage 0 0 0 0
10 October 2024 Bahrain 2 – 2 Indonesia Bahrain National Stadium Group stage 5 0 0 0

Controversies

On 18 January 2020, Al-Kaf was questioned for several dubious rulings made in the 2020 AFC U-23 Championship Quarter Finals between Saudi Arabia against host, Thailand. He gave away a controversial penalty in the 78th min, Al-Kaf first awarded Saudi Arabia a free kick just outside the box, and video assistant referees later changed it to a penalty, but he didn't check the monitor himself. The Football Association of Thailand sent an official letter to the Asian Football Confederation for questioning the fairness and integrity of officiating in the match.

On 10 October 2024, Al-Kaf again came under heavy scrutiny after he was accused of making biased decisions in the match between Bahrain and Indonesia in the 2026 World Cup qualification, including allowing the game to go on for nine additional minutes, despite six minutes originally being given and no major time wasting. This led to the incorrect mathematical equation "90+6=99" becoming an inside joke within the Indonesian football community. The Football Association of Indonesia had sent a complaint letter to FIFA, with executive member Arya Sinulingga stating "[Al-Kaf] extended the adding time just to allow Bahrain to score an equalizer". The Oman Football Association would later condemn the "use of threatening and intimidating language" towards Al-Kaf by Indonesian fans, defending the Omani referee team while claiming that the association was looking into the incident with the relevant authorities.

References

  1. ^ "Oman – Ahmed Al Kaf – Profile with news, career statistics and history – Soccerway". soccerway.com. Retrieved 10 November 2021.
  2. ^ "Oman: Referees – Men". Archived from the original on 14 August 2017. Retrieved 10 November 2021.
  3. ^ "WorldReferee.com – referee – Ahmed Al Kaaf – bio". worldreferee.com. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 7 February 2016.
  4. ^ FIFA. "Oman: Referees" Archived 20 January 2015 at the Wayback Machine.
  5. ^ KSMN (9 October 2024). "IG Ahmed Al Kaf: Profile, Biography and Controversy in the Refereeing World". IDXSport.
  6. ^ "Oman's Ahmed Al Kaf to referee AFC Champions League final". albawaba. 23 October 2016. Archived from the original on 23 July 2019. Retrieved 11 November 2018.
  7. ^ "马宁将执法亚冠决赛 在西亚判红点也没含糊过". 腾讯体育 (in Chinese). 18 October 2018. Archived from the original on 22 July 2019. Retrieved 11 November 2018.
  8. ^ "IR Iran U23 vs. Vietnam U23 1 - 4". us.soccerway.com.
  9. ^ "Malaysia U23 vs. Laos U23 4 - 0". us.soccerway.com.
  10. ^ "Pakistan U23 vs. Korea DPR U23 0 - 2". us.soccerway.com.
  11. ^ "Laos U23 vs. Korea Republic U23 0 - 2". us.soccerway.com.
  12. ^ "Hong Kong, China U23 vs. Bangladesh U23 2 - 1". us.soccerway.com.
  13. ^ "Saudi Arabia U23 vs. Iraq U23 0 - 3". us.soccerway.com.
  14. ^ "Korea Republic U23 vs. Thailand U23 2 - 0". us.soccerway.com.
  15. ^ "Singapore vs. Thailand 1 - 2". us.soccerway.com.
  16. ^ "Malaysia vs. Thailand 2 - 3". us.soccerway.com.
  17. ^ "Singapore vs. Malaysia 1 - 3". us.soccerway.com.
  18. ^ "Malaysia vs. Thailand 0 - 0". us.soccerway.com.
  19. ^ "Al Riffa vs. Shabab Al Ordon 2 - 0". es.soccerway.com.
  20. ^ "Al Wahda vs. Al Hidd 1 - 4". es.soccerway.com.
  21. ^ "Yangon United vs. Ninh Binh 1 - 4". es.soccerway.com.
  22. ^ "Taraji Wadi Al-Nes vs. Al Hidd 1 - 1". es.soccerway.com.
  23. ^ "Johor Darul Ta'zim vs. South China 1 - 1". es.soccerway.com.
  24. ^ "Tripoli SC vs. Alay 0 - 0". es.soccerway.com.
  25. ^ "Bengaluru vs. Tampines Rovers 1 - 0". es.soccerway.com.
  26. ^ "Brisbane Roar vs. Beijing Guoan 0 - 1". es.soccerway.com.
  27. ^ "Al Sadd vs. Al Hilal 1 - 0". es.soccerway.com.
  28. ^ "Al Ahli vs. Tractor 2 - 0". es.soccerway.com.
  29. ^ "Buriram United vs. Gamba Osaka 1 - 2". es.soccerway.com.
  30. ^ "Urawa Reds vs. Suwon Bluewings 1 - 2". es.soccerway.com.
  31. ^ "Gamba Osaka vs. Melbourne Victory - 2 marzo 2016 - Soccerway". es.soccerway.com. Archived from the original on 20 May 2016.
  32. ^ "El Jaish vs. Nasaf 1 - 0". es.soccerway.com.
  33. ^ "Al Duhail vs. Al Nassr 4 - 0". es.soccerway.com.
  34. ^ "Jeonbuk Motors vs. Jiangsu FC 2 - 2". es.soccerway.com.
  35. ^ "El Jaish vs. Al Duhail 2 - 4". es.soccerway.com.
  36. ^ "Jeonbuk Motors vs. Al Ain 2 - 1". es.soccerway.com.
  37. ^ "Al Khor vs. Al Rayyan 2 - 4". us.soccerway.com.
  38. ^ "Al Duhail vs. Al Gharafa 1 - 1". us.soccerway.com.
  39. ^ "Jordan vs. Tajikistan 3 - 0". us.soccerway.com.
  40. ^ "Uzbekistan vs. Korea DPR 1 - 0". us.soccerway.com.
  41. ^ "Bahrain vs. Indonesia 2 - 2". us.soccerway.com.
  42. ^ Fox Sports Asia (18 January 2020). "Penalty or No Penalty?". Retrieved 22 January 2020.
  43. ^ The Phuket News (20 January 2020). "Thais question dubious rulings after Saudi defeat".
  44. ^ Kikip (11 October 2024). "Indonesia vs Bahrain ?Unraveling the 90+6 = 99 Minute Time Extension Scandal". Medium.
  45. ^ Aurida (13 October 2024). "Hmm, 90+6=99, That's A Bit Different!". Universitas Stekom.
  46. ^ Thu, Trung (11 October 2024). "Indonesia sends complaint to FIFA for referee's conduct in Bahrain game".
  47. ^ "Furious At The Leadership Of Referee Ahmed Al Kaf, PSSI Sends A Letter Of Protest To FIFA And AFC". VoI.id. 11 October 2024.
  48. ^ Thu, Trung (15 October 2024). "Oman condemns Indonesian fans for intimidating referee".
  49. ^ Times News Service (14 October 2024). "OFA condemns threats and intimidation against Omani referee Ahmed Al Kaf". Times of Oman.
Preceded by AFC Champions League Second-leg Final referee
2018
Oman Ahmed Al-Kaf 		Succeeded by
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