Jean-Jacques Ndala

Jean-Jacques Ndala Ngambo
Full name Jean-Jacques Ndala Ngambo
Born (1987-06-14) 14 June 1987
Zaire (now DR Congo)
Domestic
Years League Role
??– Linafoot Referee
International
Years League Role
2013– FIFA listed Referee

Jean-Jacques Ndala Ngambo (born 14 June 1987[1]) is a DR Congolese football referee, and a FIFA-listed international referee since 2013.[2]

Career

Ndala began his career in the Katanga Province Football League, and later ascended to the country's top division, the Linafoot.[3][4]

He is a renowned referee at CAF level tournaments, and has participated in four Africa Cup of Nations, first in the 2019 edition in Egypt,[5] followed by the 2022 tournament in Cameroon,[3] the 2024 Cup in the Ivory Coast, and in Morocco in 2025–2026, with his most advanced game being the final in Rabat in January 2026.[6] He has also overseen games in the CAF qualification for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.[7]

In 2021, Ndala refereed the December CAF Super Cup between Al Ahly SC and Raja CA in Qatar.[2] Two years later, in May 2023, he led the first leg final of the 2022–23 CAF Confederation Cup between Young Africans S.C. and USM Alger in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania,[8] and in November of that year, Ndala oversaw the second leg final of the 2023 African Football League between Mamelodi Sundowns F.C. and Wydad AC at the Loftus Versfeld Stadium in Pretoria, South Africa.[9][10]

Ndala's FIFA career reached international level (beyond CAF) in 2019, when he was chosen as an official for the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Poland, where he led two group stage matches.[9] He was pre-selected for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in October 2020, but he was not ultimately included in the final list.[11] In April 2025, Ndala was named for the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup in the United States.[12][1]

In January 2026, Ndala was appointed as a referee at the Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco. He oversaw two group stage games and was appointed for the 18 January final match, between Senegal and the locals Morocco at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat,[13][6] in which he was heavily criticized due to several controversial refereeing decisions.[14][15][a]

Selected record

2019 FIFA U-20 World Cup – Poland
Date Match Result Round Ref
27 May 2019  Norway –  New Zealand 0–2 Group stage [16]
31 May 2019  Saudi Arabia –  Panama 1–2 Group stage [17]
2025 Africa Cup of Nations – Morocco
21 December 2025  Morocco –  Comoros 2–0 Group stage
30 December 2025  Tanzania –  Tunisia 1–1 Group stage
18 January 2026  Senegal –  Morocco 0–3 Final [a]

Notes

  1. ^ a b The final match originally finished as a 1–0 win for Senegal after extra time. On 17 March 2026, the CAF Appeal Board ruled that Senegal had forfeited the match for temporarily refusing to play and leaving the pitch in protest of a refereeing decision.[18] Pursuant to articles 82 and 84 of the competition regulations, the final was awarded as a 3–0 win for Morocco, thereby retroactively declaring them as 2025 Africa Cup of Nations champions and stripping Senegal of the title.[19]

References

  1. ^ a b Paños, Sergio (2025). "¿Quién es Jean Jacques Ndala, árbitro del Mundial de Clubes FIFA 2025?". DAZN (in Spanish). Retrieved 19 November 2025.
  2. ^ a b Bulonza, Enock (21 December 2021). "CAF : Jean-Jacques Ndala, l'arbitre qui fait la fierté de la RDC". Afrik News (in French). Retrieved 19 November 2025.
  3. ^ a b Makabi, G. (27 January 2022). "CAN-2022, Egypte contre Côte d'Ivoire : l'arbitre central, le congolais Jean-Jacques Ndala félicité !". Media Congo News (in French). Retrieved 19 November 2025.
  4. ^ "CAN 2021 : « l'excellent arbitrage » de Jean-Jacques Ndala plébiscité par la presse et le public". Archive FOOTDRC (in French). 27 January 2022. Retrieved 19 November 2025.
  5. ^ "AFCON 2019: No Ghanaian referee for 2019 AFCON". Ghana Broadcasting Corporation. 7 June 2019. Retrieved 19 November 2025.
  6. ^ a b Atkinson, Mark (18 January 2026). "Scotland's World Cup foes Morocco lose AFCON final amid chaos as Senegal walk off pitch and panenka missed". The Scotsman. Retrieved 18 January 2026.
  7. ^ "Barrages-Mondial 2022 : le Congolais Jean-Jacques Ndala désigné arbitre du match Egypte-Sénégal". Radio Kapi (in French). 9 March 2022. Retrieved 19 November 2025.
  8. ^ "Yanga, USM Alger to battle for CAF Confederation Cup glory". African Football News. 26 May 2023. Retrieved 19 November 2025.
  9. ^ a b "DR Congo referee Jean-Jacques Ndala Kaizer Chiefs vs Wydad Casablanca". Kick Off. 25 June 2021. Retrieved 19 November 2025.
  10. ^ "Le Congolais Jean-Jacques Ndala va arbitrer la finale Mamelodi-WAC". Forum Des As (in French). 7 November 2023. Retrieved 19 November 2025.
  11. ^ "Coupe du monde Qatar 2022 : l'arbitre congolais Jean-Jacques Ndala présélectionné". Linter View (in French). 4 August 2020. Retrieved 19 November 2025.
  12. ^ "12 African referees picked for Club World Cup". APA News. 15 April 2025. Retrieved 19 November 2025.
  13. ^ "CAF Appoints Jean-Jacques Ndala for Morocco vs. Senegal Final After Officiating Opening Match". elbotola.com. 17 January 2026. Retrieved 18 January 2026.
  14. ^ "After controversial penalty: Senegal spark AFCON match abandonment". Yahoo Sports. 18 January 2026. Retrieved 19 January 2026.
  15. ^ "Senegal 1-0 Morocco (Jan 18, 2026) Game Analysis". ESPN. 19 January 2026. Retrieved 19 January 2026.
  16. ^ "Norway v. New Zealand". FIFA Plus. 27 May 2019. Retrieved 18 January 2026.
  17. ^ "Panamá gana y hace historia en el Mundial Sub-20". TUDN (in Spanish). 31 May 2019. Retrieved 18 January 2026.
  18. ^ "Morocco awarded Afcon title after CAF overturns result". BBC Sport. 17 March 2026. Retrieved 17 March 2026.
  19. ^ "CAF Appeal Board Media Statement". Confederation of African Football. 17 March 2026. Archived from the original on 17 March 2026. Retrieved 17 March 2026.
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