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Ibrahim Chaibou

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Ibrahim Chaibou
Born 1966 (age 59–60)
Niamey, Niger
Other occupation Military officer
Domestic
Years League Role
1996–2011 Super Ligue Referee
International
Years League Role
1996–2011 FIFA listed Referee

Ibrahim Chaibou (born 1966[1]) is a Nigerien former football referee and convicted match-fixer who was listed on the FIFA International Referees List between 1996 and 2011.[a] He was banned for life by FIFA in January 2019.

Career as a CAF referee

[edit]

Chaibou became involved in tournaments of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) in the 1990s, attaining the FIFA international badge in 1996 and continuing in this role until his retirement in 2011, when he left the sport after reaching the mandatory age of retirement of 45 years old.[3] Among the CAF competitions which Chaibou took part in are the 2009 African Nations Championship (CHAN) in the Ivory Coast, which was the tournament's first edition,[4] and the qualifying games for the 2006 FIFA World Cup.[5] In 2010, Chaibou also oversaw matches in the qualification stage of that year's CAF Champions League.[6]

In the CHAN 2009, Chaibou was the main referee in two matches: the 1–1 draw between Zimbabwe and DR Congo in Stade Bouaké and the game between Zambia and Tanzania also in Bouaké, which ended in another 1–1 draw and where Chaibou awarded a penalty kick to the Tanzanian side in the 88th minute.[7][8][9][10][11] He again refereed CAF qualifiers for a FIFA World Cup when he took part in two June 2008 matches in the race towards the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. Chaibou oversaw the second-round qualification games between Libya and Gabon (1–0) in Tripoli and the 3–1 victory of Senegal over Liberia in Dakar.[12][13]

After retiring in December 2011, Chaibou continued to be active in the world of football by conceding interviews about the refereeing of other CAF officials.[14] He defended Algerian referee Mohamed Benouza in June 2012 after Senegal heavily criticised him following a heated match against Uganda in Kampala where Benouza awarded a penalty kick to the Ugandans.[14] Chaibou stated in a phone interview to the L'Observateur that Benouza would have "awarded the penalty without hesitation" if it had been played in Senegal, dismissing allegations that the hosts benefited from the decision.[14] Chaibou added that CAF choosing Benouza for several important continental games was proof that Benouza was a good referee.[14]

Controversies

[edit]

Chaibou became under the scrutiny of FIFA authorities following a friendly match in the lead-up to the 2010 FIFA World Cup, where he awarded three penalty kicks to the hosts, South Africa, in a game against Guatemala that concluded in a 5–0 win for the African team.[15][16] In September 2010, Chaibou drew again the attention of FIFA and the FIFA Ethics Committee after he was assigned to an exhibition game in Bahrain between the locals and a fake team representing Togo.[17]

On 1 June 2011, controversy surrounding Chaibou's performances intensified after he oversaw a high-stakes friendly match between Argentina and Nigeria at Moshood Abiola National Stadium in Abuja.[18] Chaibou awarded two penalties, one for each side, and extended the match for twelve additional minutes as extra time to the full time of ninety minutes.[18][19] In the 98th minute of the game, Chaibou sanctioned a penalty kick against Nigeria after the ball hit the groin of a Nigerian defender following a strong hit by Argentine player Mauro Boselli.[20]

The FIFA Ethics Committee subsequently launched an anti-corruption investigation into Chaibou's performances and tried unsuccessfully to interrogate him.[21] In January 2019, FIFA banned him for life from any football-linked activities and imposed a fine of 200,000 Swiss francs (154,104 British pounds) for match fixing.[22] The committee found Chaibou guilty, as it was proven that he had received bribes and that he had manipulated the course of matches to influence the results.[18][23] FIFA official Chris Eaton said that Chaibou "was probably the most corrupt referee the game of football has seen."[22][24][25][26]

After his ban was imposed and upheld by FIFA, Chaibou stated in a phone interview to The Times from his hometown of Niamey that he had not been involved in corruption, and he further denied knowing Singaporean criminal and match fixer Wilson Raj Perumal.[23][27] He additionally told The Times that FIFA had already got in touch with him and that he maintained his position about the penalty decisions that he made in the controversial friendly matches.[28] Chaibou also clarified that he had retired from the sport.[23][28] After a series of questions by the reporter pressured him on whether he did not really know Perumal, Chaibou hung up and did not answer further calls from journalists or requests for interviews.[16][27]

In August 2014, Perumal wrote a memoir and gave different interviews, including one to CNN sports journalist Don Riddell where he admitted to bribing referees to manipulate matches' results, saying that Chaibou was the favourite of his defunct Singapore-based company Football 4 U International.[18] Perumal described Chaibou as "very bold", adding that Chaibou was "the best, but not from FIFA's point of view."[18]

Although FIFA had repeatedly called Chaibou to present himself for inquiry, he has never left his native country and later became a member of the military of Niger.[16] FIFA officials have stated that given that FIFA only investigates active referees, they cannot continue pursuing Chaibou's testimony in the corruption probe related to Perumal's business in Singapore.[3][29]

Selected record

[edit]
Friendlies
DateMatchResultStadiumNotes
31 May 2010 South Africa –  Guatemala5–0Peter Mokaba Stadium, PolokwaneFixed[17][b]
7 September 2010 Bahrain –  Togo3–0BahrainFake representation of Togo[17]
1 June 2011 Nigeria –  Argentina4–1Moshood Abiola National Stadium, AbujaFixed[30][31][20][c]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ↑ Convicted by the FIFA Ethics Committee.[2]
  2. ↑ Chaibou was fined $60,000 for corrupting this match.[17]
  3. ↑ Chaibou whistled inexistent penalties and was confronted by Argentine players like Ezequiel Garay. Then AFA President Julio Grondona filed a report against Chaibou.[20]

References

[edit]
  1. ↑ Redacción. "Fuerte sanción de la FIFA al árbitro Ibrahim Chaibou". Noticias y análisis de árbitros de fútbol | Reglas, jugadas polémicas y opinión arbitral. Retrieved 22 September 2026.
  2. ↑ "FIFA bans for life a Nigerien referee - Football Legal". www.football-legal.com. Retrieved 22 September 2026.
  3. 1 2 Hill, Declan; Longman, Jera (31 May 2014). "Fixed matches cast shadow over World Cup". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 22 September 2026.
  4. ↑ "African Nations Championship (CHAN): A look back at the 2009 edition". Yahoo Sports. 25 July 2025. Retrieved 22 September 2026.
  5. ↑ FIFA.com. "FIFA.com". www.fifa.com. Archived from the original on 9 November 2007. Retrieved 22 September 2026.
  6. ↑ "Des arbitres de matches truqués restent actifs". Tribune de Genève (in French). 14 March 2013. Retrieved 22 September 2026.
  7. ↑ "Zimbabwe hold DR Congo to keep group open - African Nations Championship 2009 - CAF". www.cafonline.com. Archived from the original on 28 February 2009. Retrieved 22 September 2026.
  8. ↑ "Senegal, Zambia grab semis ticket - African Nations Championship 2009 - CAF". www.cafonline.com. Archived from the original on 2 March 2009. Retrieved 22 September 2026.
  9. ↑ "CHAN 2009 results and fixtures". 5 March 2009. Retrieved 22 September 2026.
  10. ↑ "Zambia : Zambia's CHAN Judgement Day Arrives". 27 February 2009. Retrieved 22 September 2026.
  11. ↑ "African Nations Championship 2009 - Details". www.rsssf.org. Retrieved 22 September 2026.
  12. ↑ "Fasotalents". www.fasotalents.com. Retrieved 22 September 2026.
  13. ↑ "Senegal v Liberia". 11vs11. 21 June 2008. Retrieved 21 September 2026.
  14. 1 2 3 4 Lobservateur. "Mohamed Benouza, arbitre du match Ouganda-Sénégal: «J'ai la conscience tranquille»". DAKARACTU.COM (in French). Retrieved 22 September 2026.
  15. ↑ "Ibrahim Chaibou, former FIFA referee, denies he ever played a role in fixing matches". New York Daily News. Retrieved 12 November 2019.
  16. 1 2 3 Kelso, Paul. "South African FA president suspended following Fifa match-fixing probe". Telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 12 November 2019.
  17. 1 2 3 4 Declan Hill and Jeré Longman. "Fixed Soccer Matches Cast Shadow Over World Cup". Archived from the original on 31 May 2014. Retrieved 21 September 2026.
  18. 1 2 3 4 5 Knight, Matthew; Riddell, Don (28 August 2014). "Referee! How Wilson Raj Perumal made football pay the penalty | CNN". CNN. Retrieved 22 September 2026.
  19. ↑ "Apuestas: sospechan del árbitro que dirigió Nigeria-Argentina" [The referee who led Nigeria-Argentina under suspicions]. La Nación (in Spanish). Retrieved 12 November 2019.
  20. 1 2 3 Seguir (14 November 2017). "La última vez que la Selección había recibido cuatro goles ante Nigeria: la insólita formación y denuncias de partido arreglado". infobae (in Spanish). Retrieved 21 September 2026.
  21. ↑ "Fifa is looking for Nigerien referee Ibrahim Chaibou". BBC Sport News. Retrieved 12 November 2019.
  22. 1 2 "Fifa ban retired Niger referee Ibrahim Chaibou for life". BBC News. Retrieved 12 November 2019.
  23. 1 2 3 "Report: South Africa friendlies fixed". ABC7 New York. 3 June 2014. Retrieved 22 September 2026.
  24. ↑ "FIFA bans former referee for life for bribery, match-fixing". Associated Press.
  25. ↑ "FIFA Bans Ex-Nigerien Referee For Bribery". AmonpointTV. Retrieved 12 November 2019.
  26. ↑ "FIFA bans former Nigerien referee Chaibou for life for bribery, match-fixing - Africa - Sports". Ahram Online. Retrieved 2 March 2023.
  27. 1 2 "Match fixing: the man in the middle makes an ideal target". The National. Retrieved 22 September 2026.
  28. 1 2 "Refree [sic] Ibrahim Chaibou denies fixing soccer matches". News18. Retrieved 12 November 2019.
  29. ↑ "Página/12 :: Deportes :: Las apuestas en la mira". www.pagina12.com.ar. Retrieved 22 September 2026.
  30. ↑ Giammaría, Federico (17 March 2013). "Ibrahim Chaibou, el que rifó el prestigio en un Argentina vs. Nigeria". www.lavoz.com.ar (in Spanish). Retrieved 21 September 2026.
  31. ↑ "FIFA completes 1st stage of South African probe". www.foxsports.com. FOX Sports. Retrieved 21 September 2026.
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