# Ahmed Al-Kaf

Ahmed Abu Bakar Said Al-Kaf (Arabic: أحمد أبو بكر سعيد الكاف; born 6 March 1983) is an Omani professional football referee. He has been a full international for FIFA since 2010. He has served as the referee of numerous matches, such as the 2016 AFC Champions League final between Jeonbuk Hyundai and Al Ain FC, the second round of the 2018 AFC Champions League Final.

## Early career

Ahmed Al-Kaf was born March 6, 1983, in Oman. After receiving his FIFA license in 2010, he was entrusted with officiating various international matches. He served as the referee of the AFC Champions League final twice. Al-Kaf served as the referee for the 2016 AFC Champions League final match between South Korean team Jeonbuk Hyundai and Emirati team Al Ain. In the second round of the 2018 AFC Champions League Final, Al-Kaf served as the referee. Throughout his career, Al-Kaf has officiated 114 matches, issuing a total of 343 yellow cards and 10 red cards.

## Games officiated
### Asian Games

2014 Asian Games – Men's tournament :
| Date | Local | Result | Visitor | Site | Phase | | | | Penalty |
| 15 September 2014 | IR Iran U23 | 1 – 4 | Vietnam U23 | Ansan Wa~ Stadium | Group stage | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 17 September 2014 | Malaysia U23 | 4 – 0 | Laos U23 | Ansan Wa Stadium | Fourth official | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 18 September 2014 | Pakistan U23 | 0 – 2 | Korea DPR U23 | Hwaseong Stadium | Group stage | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 21 September 2014 | Laos U23 | 0 – 2 | Korea Republic U23 | Hwaseong Stadium | Group stage | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 22 September 2014 | Hong Kong, China U23 | 0 – 0 | Bangladesh U23 | Hwaseong Stadium | Fourth official | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 28 September 2014 | Saudi Arabia U23 | 0 – 3 | Iraq U23 | Hwaseong Stadium | Group stage | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 30 September 2014 | Korea Republic U23 | 2 – 0 | Thailand U23 | Sungui Arena Park | Fourth official | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |

### AFF Championships

2014 AFF Championship :
| Date | Local | Result | Visitor | Site | Phase | | | | Penalty |
| 23 November 2014 | Singapore | 1 – 2 | Thailand | National Stadium | Fourth official | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 26 November 2014 | Malaysia | 2 – 3 | Thailand | Jalan Besar Stadium | Group stage | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 29 November 2014 | Singapore | 1 – 3 | Malaysia | National Stadium | Group stage | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
2018 AFF Championship :
| Date | Local | Result | Visitor | Site | Phase | | | | Penalty | References |
| 2 December 2018 | Malaysia | 0 – 0 | Thailand | Bukit Jalil National Stadium | Group stage | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |

### AFC Asian Cup

2019 AFC Asian Cup (United Arab Emirates) :
| Date | Match card | Venue | Round |
| 6 January 2019 | Australia – Jordan | Hazza bin Zayed Stadium | Group stage |
| 16 January 2019 | Vietnam – Yemen | Hazza bin Zayed Stadium | Group stage |
2022 AFC U-23 Asian Cup :
| Date | Local | Result | Visitor | Site | Phase | | | | Penalty |
| 1 June 2022 | Jordan | 1 – 1 | Iraq | Markaziy Stadium | Fourth official | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 4 June 2022 | Kuwait | 0 – 1 | Jordan | Markaziy Stadium | Group stage | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 7 June 2022 | Uzbekistan | 1 – 1 | Iran | Markaziy Stadium | Group stage | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 15 June 2022 | Uzbekistan | 2 – 0 | Japan | Milliy Stadium | Group stage | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
2023 AFC Asian Cup :
| Date | Local | Result | Visitor | Site | Phase | | | | Penalty |
| 13 January 2024 | Uzbekistan | 0 – 0 | Syria | Jassim bin Hamad Stadium | Group stage | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 18 January 2024 | Palestine | 1 – 1 | United Arab Emirates | Al Janoub Stadium | Fourth official | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 20 January 2024 | Bahrain | 1 – 0 | Malaysia | Jassim bin Hamad Stadium | Group stage | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 22 January 2024 | Tajikistan | 2 – 1 | Lebanon | Jassim bin Hamad Stadium | Fourth official | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 30 January 2024 | Uzbekistan | 2 – 1 | Thailand | Al Janoub Stadium | Fourth official | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2 February 2024 | Australia | 1 – 2 | South Korea | Al Janoub Stadium | Group stage | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 |

### FIFA World Cup

AFC World Cup Qualifiers :
| Date | Local | Result | Visitor | Site | Phase | | | | Penalty |
| 6 June 2024 | Jordan | 3 – 0 | Tajikistan | Amman International Stadium | Group stage | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 5 September 2024 | Uzbekistan | 1 – 0 | North Korea | Milliy Stadium | Group stage | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 10 October 2024 | Bahrain | 2 – 2 | Indonesia | Bahrain National Stadium | Group stage | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 14 November 2024 | United Arab Emirates | 3 – 0 | Kyrzygzstan | Bahrain National Stadium | Group stage | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |

## International club tournaments
### AFC Cup

AFC Cup :
| Date | Local | Result | Visitor | Site | Phase | | | | Penalty |
| 12 March 2014 | Al-Riffa SC | 2 – 0 | Shabab Al-Ordon Club | Riffa | Group stage | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 9 April 2014 | Al-Wahda SC | 1 – 4 | Hidd SCC | Riffa | Group stage | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 22 April 2014 | Yangon United FC | 1 – 4 | Vissai Ninh Bình FC | Rangoon | Group stage | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 12 May 2015 | Taraji Wadi Al-Nes | 1 – 1 | Hidd SCC | Al-Ram | Group stage | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 25 August 2014 | Johor Darul Takzim FC | 1 – 1 | South China | Johor Bahru | Quarter finals | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 9 February 2016 | Tripoli SC | 0 – 0 | FC Alay Osh | Tripoli | Preliminary phase | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 14 September 2016 | Bengaluru | 1 – 0 | Tampines Rovers FC | Bangalore | Quarter finals | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |

### AFC Champions League Elite

AFC Champions League Elite :
| Date | Local | Result | Visitor | Site | Phase | | | | Penalty |
| 25 February 2015 | Brisbane Roar | 0 – 1 | Beijing Sinobo Guoan | Gold Coast | Group stage | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 4 March 2015 | Al-Sadd Sports Club | 1 – 0 | Al Hilal SFC | Doha | Group stage | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 18 March 2015 | Al-Ahli Saudi FC | 2 – 0 | Tractor S.C. | Jeddah | Group stage | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 7 April 2015 | Buriram United | 1 – 2 | Gamba Osaka | Buriram | Group stage | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 21 April 2015 | Urawa Red Diamonds | 1 – 2 | Suwon Bluewings | Saitama | Group stage | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2 March 2016 | Gamba Osaka | 1 – 1 | Melbourne Victory | Suita | Group stage | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 16 March 2016 | El Jaish SC | 1 – 0 | Nasaf Qarshi | Doha | Group stage | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 5 April 2016 | Al-Duhail SC | 4 – 0 | Al-Nassr | Doha | Group stage | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 4 May 2015 | Jeonbuk Motors | 2 – 2 | Jiangsu Suning | Jeonju | Group stage | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 25 May 2016 | El Jaish SC | 2 – 4 | Al-Duhail SC | Doha | Round of 16 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 14 September 2016 | Jeonbuk Motors | 2 – 1 | Al Ain FC | Jeonju | Final | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 |

### Stars League

Stars League :
| Date | Local | Result | Visitor | Site | Phase | | | | Penalty | References |
| 17 October 2015 | Al-Khor | 2 – 4 | Al-Rayyan | Thani bin Jassim Stadium | Group stage | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 28 October 2017 | Al-Duhail | 1 – 1 | Al-Gharafa | Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium | Group stage | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |

## Controversies
### 2020 AFC U-23 Championship rulings

On 18 January 2020, Al-Kaf was questioned for several dubious rulings made in the 2020 AFC U-23 Championship Quarter Finals between Saudi Arabia against host, Thailand. He gave away a penalty in the 78th min, awarding Saudi Arabia a free kick just outside the box. Video assistant referees later changed it to a penalty, but he didn't check the monitor himself. The Football Association of Thailand sent an official letter to the Asian Football Confederation for questioning the fairness and integrity of officiating in the match.

### 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier rulings

On 10 October 2024, Al-Kaf again came under heavy scrutiny after he was accused of making biased decisions in the match between Bahrain and Indonesia in the 2026 World Cup qualification, including allowing the game to go on for nine additional minutes, despite six minutes originally being given and no major time wasting. This led to Mohamed Marhoon scoring a 2–2 equalizer with only 20 seconds remaining. In response, defender Shayne Pattynama nearly started a fight with Bahraini team members, leading to the referee team being escorted off the field by security. Al-Kaf's ruling was protested by Indonesian netizens, who coined the incorrect mathematical equation "90+6=99" as an inside joke within the football community. The Football Association of Indonesia (PSSI) had sent a complaint letter to FIFA, with executive member Arya Sinulingga stating "[Al-Kaf] extended the adding time just to allow Bahrain to score an equalizer".
   We affirm its absolute rejection of such out-of-context behavior by a number of fans and some relevant parties, warning of the consequences of these out-of-context behaviors, stressing the commitment of the Omani staff throughout their honorable history to the utmost levels of professionalism and applying the highest levels of transparency, integrity and impartiality in line with international standards. This is what qualified them to become referees of the Asian elite.
The Oman Football Association would later condemn the "use of threatening and intimidating language" towards Al-Kaf by Indonesian fans, defending the Omani referee team while claiming that the association was looking into the incident with the relevant authorities. The Indonesian FA later requested the AFC to assign referees from neutral zones for the World Cup qualifiers.