Unusual in Africa: Referee Threatens to Remove Player on Stretcher

A player from the DR Congo disclosed that the referee compelled him to be carried off the pitch on a stretcher to prevent a red card in an AFCON 2025 game.

AFCON, also known as the Africa Cup of Nations, is the continent's biggest international football tournament, equivalent to Copa America and the Euro. However, unlike the well-organized major tournaments, AFCON still experiences many rare incidents.

Recently, in the match between DR Congo and Benin on December 23, a humorous incident occurred. In the final minutes, Samuel Moutoussamy of DR Congo was forced to leave the pitch on a stretcher. This decision was imposed by the referee, and the midfielder accepted it to avoid a second yellow card.

“I told the referee that I only had a cramp in my calf. I planned to drink some water and return to the field without needing a stretcher. But he said, ‘No, no, you must lie on the stretcher, or I will show you a yellow card.’ I already had one yellow card, so I didn’t argue...”, Moutoussamy recounted.

He added: “Maybe it’s a rule detail I wasn’t aware of,” while denying any intention to waste time..

According to IFAB’s Laws of the Game, under article 5.3 – ‘Powers and Duties’, a referee may caution a player for unsporting behavior if the player refuses to leave the field for treatment (whether by walking off or on a stretcher) after the referee has allowed medical staff and/or a stretcher onto the field.

In theory, Moutoussamy – who returned to play a few minutes later – could have left the field on his own without a stretcher and avoided the risk of a second yellow card, especially since he had already been booked in the 20th minute. Therefore, the referee’s decision caused much confusion.

This was not the only unusual event in the DR Congo vs. Benin game. Another VAR malfunction caused everyone to laugh.

The Benin team was extremely frustrated in their AFCON opening match when a clear penalty was denied against DR Congo after the VAR system suddenly failed mid-game.

South African referee Abongile Tom initially waved off Benin’s penalty claim but later consulted VAR to review the incident. However, the decision could not be changed because VAR suffered a technical failure and completely shut down.

This rare malfunction allowed DR Congo to narrowly escape defeat, while Benin was furious, feeling they had been “robbed” of a clear penalty in the AFCON opener held at Al Medina stadium. Communication issues among the refereeing team also caused the match to have an extended stoppage time of 10 minutes.