Jose Mourinho Praises Use of VAR at AFCON 2023, Wants Headquarters Moved to Africa

• Jose Mourinho has commented on the use of VAR at AFCON 2023
• The ex-Roma manager has been impressed by AFCON's officiating
• Nigeria lost in the final round to Ivory Coast on Sunday in Abidjan

Former Chelsea manager, Jose Mourinho, has praised the 'honest' use of the Video Assistant Referee at the recently concluded Africa Cup of Nations.

Referees at the tournament have received huge applause for their effective use of the technology, with no controversies marring the tournament.

Prior to the final between Nigeria and Ivory Coast on Sunday night, the ex-AS Roma gaffer said he had hoped for the best conclusion to the competition in Abidjan.

Mourinho also admitted that he had been watching AFCON more than European football, per The News Chronicle:

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"They are simply teaching us, to be honest. In AFCON, VAR is used exactly the way it should be used. They do not use it to help the money magnet teams or famous teams. This is why you saw the best out of every team, because they know VAR is not hired behind the scenes, but is for everyone."

The Portuguese tactician went on to praise the referees for handling protests from players in a professional manner, accusing their colleagues in Europe of unnecessarily punishing players and coaches when they ask for a review.

"They listen even to their players if the ref missed something and go check. In Europe, if I - as a coach or a player - plead with a ref to go check something, it is a red card for doing that. The headquarters for VAR needs to be in CAF."

On Saturday, South Africa beat DR Congo on penalties to finish third at AFCON 2023, per the BBC. In the final on Sunday, Ivory Coast scored a late winner to defeat Nigeria in the final.

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Emerse Fae rejects 'Special One' tag

Earlier, Sports Brief reported that Ivory Coast coach, Emerse Fae addressed the 'Special One' tag given to him for miraculously turning around the Elephants' fortuntes at AFCON 2023.

Fae, then assistant coach to Jean Louis-Gasset, took over the hot seat shortly after the AFCON hosts suffered their worst defeat on home soil, a 4-0 humbling against Equatorial Guinea.

The defeat placed the two-time African champions in a precarious position, but they somehow pulled through as one of the best third-placed teams and went on to claim the AFCON title.