Ahmed Al-Kaf

Ahmed Al-Kaf
Al-Kaf in 2020
Full name Ahmed Abu Bakar Said Al-Kaf[1]
Born (1983-03-06) 6 March 1983[2]
Oman[1]
Domestic
Years League Role
2008– Omani League Referee
International
Years League Role
2010– FIFA-listed Referee

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 2012.[3] 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, and the 2024 match between Bahrain and Indonesia. In April 2025, it was reported that Al-Kaf was removed from the list of referees to officiate the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup.[4]

Early life and career

Ahmed Al-Kaf was born March 6, 1983, in Oman. He graduated among the top three in the Future Referees Project, kickstarting his refereeing career. He also trained in the Premier League.[5] After receiving his FIFA license in 2010, he became a full international two years later.[3] Al-Kaf was entrusted with officiating various international matches;[6] he served as the referee of the AFC Champions League final twice, having officiated the 2016 AFC Champions League final match between South Korean team Jeonbuk Hyundai and Emirati team Al Ain,[7] as well as during the second round of the 2018 AFC Champions League Final.[8] Al-Kaf was one of 46 referees from the first and second divisions of Oman who participated in a football referees' camp located in Dhofar Governorate. The camp included fitness examinations, theoretical lectures, practical applications, and tests regarding legal subjects.[9] Throughout his career, Al-Kaf has officiated 114 matches, issuing a total of 343 yellow cards and 10 red cards.[6]

2018 AFC U-23 Championship final

Further information: 2018 AFC U-23 Championship final

Prior to the final match on 27 January 2018, the AFC had assigned Chinese referee Ma Ning to officiate it, but he was replaced by Al-Kaf a few hours before the final began.[10] On 3 March, Al-Kaf and Abu Bakr Al-Omari were praised by Saad bin Mohammed bin Said Al-Mardhouf Al-Saadi, Minister of Sports Affairs, for their contributions made in their football refereeing careers. Al-Saadi cited Al-Kaf's officiation of the 2018 AFC U-23 Championship final as the main reason why he was chosen to receive this honor.[11]

2022 FIFA World Cup qualification

Further information: 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification – AFC second round

On 8 November 2019, it was reported that Al-Kaf would officiate the match between Thailand and Vietnam. He was nicknamed "national referee" and "Asian Collina" by Vietnamese football fans, who praised his calmness and neutrality during matches.[12] During the match, Tien Dung passed Thai goalkeeper Manuel Bihr to score a goal, but Al-Kaf declared this incident a penalty, stating that Đoàn Văn Hậu had previously brought Bihr down in the box.[13] The match resulted in a tie of 0–0, causing Thailand to lose their second place ranking to Malaysia.[14]

2020 AFC U-23 Championship

In 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. During the 78th minute of the game, he was accused of awarding Saudi Arabian footballer Abdullah Al-Hamdan[15] a free kick just outside the box.[16] The Football Association of Thailand sent an official letter to the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), questioning the fairness and integrity of officiating in the match.[17] Afterwards, Al-Kaf later changed the free kick to a penalty after video assistant referees (VARs) confirmed it as such.[15]

2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier

Further information: 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification – AFC third round

On 14 February 2024, Al-Kaf was among the referees chosen to officiate the 2026 FIFA World Cup finals.[18] 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 third round of the 2026 World Cup qualification; while the game was originally planned to go on for 6 more minutes, he allowed the game to continue for 9 additional minutes.[19] This led to Mohamed Marhoon scoring a 2–2 equalizer with only 20 seconds remaining.[20]

International response

As a result of Al-Kaf's decisions during the game, defender Shayne Pattynama nearly started a fight with Bahraini team members, leading to the referee team being escorted off the field by security.[20] Al-Kaf's ruling was protested by Indonesian netizens, who coined the incorrect mathematical equation "90+6=99" as an inside joke.[20][21][22] The Football Association of Indonesia (PSSI) 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".[23][24]

We affirm its absolute rejection of such out-of-context behavior by a number of fans and some relevant parties, warning of the consequences of these out-of-context behaviors, stressing the commitment of the Omani staff throughout their honorable history to the utmost levels of professionalism and applying the highest levels of transparency, integrity and impartiality in line with international standards. This is what qualified them to become referees of the Asian elite.

Oman Football Association regarding Al-Kaf's 2024 ruling.[25]

The Oman Football Association (OFA) would later condemn the "use of threatening and intimidating language" towards Al-Kaf by Indonesian fans,[26] demanding he be protected due to death threats[27][28][29] while claiming that the association was looking into the incident with the relevant authorities.[30] Additionally, Bahraini football players were subject to online harassment and hacking operations, according to the Bahrain Football Association (BFA), which the AFC was aware of.[31] The PSSI later requested the AFC to assign referees from neutral zones for the World Cup qualifiers.[32]

2025 removal

In April 2025, Al-Kaf was removed from the list of referees officiating the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup.[4] In response, the Chairman of the OFA personally contacted the President of the AFC to discuss Al-Kaf's exclusion.[33]

Games officiated

Asian Games

2014 Asian Games – Men's tournament
Date Local Result Visitor Site Phase   Penalty References
15 September 2014 IR Iran U23 1 – 4 Vietnam U23 Ansan Wa~ Stadium Group stage 6 0 0 0 [34]
17 September 2014 Malaysia U23 4 – 0 Laos U23 Ansan Wa~ Stadium Fourth official 0 0 0 0 [35]
18 September 2014 Pakistan U23 0 – 2 Korea DPR U23 Hwaseong Stadium Group stage 3 1 0 0 [36]
21 September 2014 Laos U23 0 – 2 Korea Republic U23 Hwaseong Stadium Group stage 2 0 0 0 [37]
22 September 2014 Hong Kong, China U23 0 – 0 Bangladesh U23 Hwaseong Stadium Fourth official 0 0 0 0 [38]
28 September 2014 Saudi Arabia U23 0 – 3 Iraq U23 Hwaseong Stadium Group stage 4 0 0 0 [39]
30 September 2014 Korea Republic U23 2 – 0 Thailand U23 Sungui Arena Park Fourth official 0 0 0 0 [40]

AFF Championships

2014 AFF Championship
Date Local Result Visitor Site Phase   Penalty References
23 November 2014 Singapore 1 – 2 Thailand National Stadium Fourth official 0 0 0 0 [41]
26 November 2014 Malaysia 2 – 3 Thailand Jalan Besar Stadium Group stage 3 0 0 0 [42]
29 November 2014 Singapore 1 – 3 Malaysia National Stadium Group stage 6 0 0 0 [43]
2018 AFF Championship
Date Local Result Visitor Site Phase   Penalty References
2 December 2018 Malaysia 0 – 0 Thailand Bukit Jalil National Stadium Group stage 3 0 0 0 [44]

AFC Asian Cup

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
2022 AFC U-23 Asian Cup
Date Local Result Visitor Site Phase   Penalty References
1 June 2022 Jordan 1 – 1 Iraq Markaziy Stadium Fourth official 0 0 0 0 [45]
4 June 2022 Kuwait 0 – 1 Jordan Markaziy Stadium Group stage 1 0 3 0 [46]
7 June 2022 Uzbekistan 1 – 1 Iran Markaziy Stadium Group stage 4 0 0 0 [47]
15 June 2022 Uzbekistan 2 – 0 Japan Milliy Stadium Group stage 4 0 0 0 [48]
2023 AFC Asian Cup
Date Local Result Visitor Site Phase   Penalty References
13 January 2024 Uzbekistan 0 – 0 Syria Jassim bin Hamad Stadium Group stage 2 0 0 0 [49]
18 January 2024 Palestine 1 – 1 United Arab Emirates Al Janoub Stadium Fourth official 0 0 0 0 [50]
20 January 2024 Bahrain 1 – 0 Malaysia Jassim bin Hamad Stadium Group stage 3 0 0 0 [51]
22 January 2024 Tajikistan 2 – 1 Lebanon Jassim bin Hamad Stadium Fourth official 0 0 0 0 [52]
30 January 2024 Uzbekistan 2 – 1 Thailand Al Janoub Stadium Fourth official 0 0 0 0 [53]
2 February 2024 Australia 1 – 2 South Korea Al Janoub Stadium Group stage 1 0 2 0 [54]

FIFA World Cup

AFC World Cup Qualifiers
Date Local Result Visitor Site Phase   Penalty References
6 June 2024 Jordan 3 – 0 Tajikistan Amman International Stadium Group stage 4 0 0 0 [55]
5 September 2024 Uzbekistan 1 – 0 North Korea Milliy Stadium Group stage 0 0 0 0 [56]
10 October 2024 Bahrain 2 – 2 Indonesia Bahrain National Stadium Group stage 5 0 0 0 [57]
14 November 2024 United Arab Emirates 3 – 0 Kyrzygzstan Bahrain National Stadium Group stage 1 0 0 0 [58]

International club tournaments

AFC Cup

AFC Cup
Date Local Result Visitor Site Phase   Penalty References
12 March 2014 Al-Riffa SC 2 – 0 Shabab Al-Ordon Club Riffa Group stage 6 0 0 0 [59]
9 April 2014 Al-Wahda SC 1 – 4 Hidd SCC Riffa Group stage 1 0 0 0 [60]
22 April 2014 Yangon United FC 1 – 4 Vissai Ninh Bình FC Rangoon Group stage 2 0 0 2 [61]
12 May 2015 Taraji Wadi Al-Nes 1 – 1 Hidd SCC Al-Ram Group stage 5 0 0 0 [62]
25 August 2014 Johor Darul Takzim FC 1 – 1 South China Johor Bahru Quarter finals 2 0 0 1 [63]
9 February 2016 Tripoli SC 0 – 0 FC Alay Osh Tripoli Preliminary phase 2 0 0 0 [64]
14 September 2016 Bengaluru 1 – 0 Tampines Rovers FC Bangalore Quarter finals 2 0 0 0 [65]

AFC Champions League Elite

AFC Champions League Elite
Date Local Result Visitor Site Phase   Penalty References
25 February 2015 Brisbane Roar 0 – 1 Beijing Sinobo Guoan Gold Coast Group stage 2 0 1 0 [66]
4 March 2015 Al-Sadd Sports Club 1 – 0 Al Hilal SFC Doha Group stage 5 0 0 0 [67]
18 March 2015 Al-Ahli Saudi FC 2 – 0 Tractor S.C. Jeddah Group stage 1 0 0 0 [68]
7 April 2015 Buriram United 1 – 2 Gamba Osaka Buriram Group stage 4 0 0 0 [69]
21 April 2015 Urawa Red Diamonds 1 – 2 Suwon Bluewings Saitama Group stage 0 0 0 0 [70]
2 March 2016 Gamba Osaka 1 – 1 Melbourne Victory Suita Group stage 2 0 0 0 [71]
16 March 2016 El Jaish SC 1 – 0 Nasaf Qarshi Doha Group stage 1 0 0 0 [72]
5 April 2016 Al-Duhail SC 4 – 0 Al-Nassr Doha Group stage 4 1 0 0 [73]
4 May 2015 Jeonbuk Motors 2 – 2 Jiangsu Suning Jeonju Group stage 4 0 0 2 [74]
25 May 2016 El Jaish SC 2 – 4 Al-Duhail SC Doha Round of 16 4 1 0 1 [75]
14 September 2016 Jeonbuk Motors 2 – 1 Al Ain FC Jeonju Final 3 0 0 1 [76]

Stars League

Stars League
Date Local Result Visitor Site Phase   Penalty References
17 October 2015 Al-Khor 2 – 4 Al-Rayyan Thani bin Jassim Stadium Group stage 2 0 0 0 [77]
28 October 2017 Al-Duhail 1 – 1 Al-Gharafa Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium Group stage 4 0 0 0 [78]

References

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