FIFA hands 15-match ban to Sudan FA vice president after referee assault incident

The Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) has imposed severe disciplinary sanctions on Yasser Nasr El-Din Hamza El-Samani, the Vice President of the Sudan Football Association, following an assault on a match official after a 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier last month.

FIFA announced that Hamza El-Samani has been banned from 15 official matches for physically attacking the referee after Sudan’s 1–0 defeat to Togo in Lomé, a result that effectively ended the nation’s hopes of qualifying for the World Cup.

In the same ruling, Ignatius Osei Fosu, the assistant coach of Sudan, was handed a three-match suspension for what FIFA described as “unsporting behavior towards the match officials.”

Both Hamza El-Samani and Osei Fosu were also fined 5,000 Swiss francs (approximately $6,214 USD) each.

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