Kenyan Referees Shine Bright as Bafana Bafana Bow Out of AFCON 2025 After Cameroon Defeat

In the high-pressure environment of the AFCON 2025 Round of 16, the quality of officiating can be the difference between a fair result and a continental controversy.

On January 4, 2026, Kenyan referee Peter Waweru Kamaku and his all-Kenyan team, including Gilbert Cheruiyot and Stephen Yiembe, proved exactly why they are currently the gold standard for officiating in East Africa.

Tasked with managing the explosive clash between South Africa and Cameroon at the Al Medina Stadium in Rabat, the Kenyan trio delivered a performance defined by poise and technical accuracy.

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Peter Kamaku did not work alone. He was flanked by his long-term compatriots. This trio has become a familiar sight in African football, and in this knockout fixture, their synergy was evident.

While Peter Kamaku managed player temperaments in the centre, Cheruiyot and Yiembe provided flawless support on the touchlines.

Their chemistry ensured that critical decisions, including a disallowed 15th-minute goal from South Africa's Lyle Foster for offside, were handled with surgical precision.

The match was physically gruelling, featuring heavy challenges and high-speed transitions. Peter Kamaku issued several yellow cards to keep the match from spiralling.

Early in the game, he cautioned Cameroon’s Nouhou Tolo to set a standard, and later booked South African players like Siyabonga Ngezana and Lyle Foster as frustrations boiled over.

The Kenyan crew remained unfazed by the vocal Rabat crowd, even as the intensity peaked during five minutes of stoppage time.

Ultimately, the match was decided by Cameroon’s clinical efficiency over South Africa’s early dominance. Despite Bafana Bafana controlling the first 30 minutes, the Indomitable Lions struck first through Junior Tchamadeu in the 34th minute.

The lead was doubled just after the break by 19-year-old Christian Kofane, who glanced home a brilliant header in the 47th minute.

South Africa mounted a spirited late charge, with substitute Evidence Makgopa pulling one back in the 88th minute to set up a frantic finish.

However, Cameroon held firm to secure a 2–1 victory, knocking South Africa out and booking a heavyweight quarter-final date with the host nation, Morocco.