Said Belqola

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Said Belqola (born August 30, 1956 – died June 15, 2002) was the football referee from Morocco in the 1998 FIFA World Cup final between Brazil and France. By so being he was the first African referee to officiate in the final.

Belqola's international career began when he was appointed to the international list in 1993, going onto referee the France v England match at Le Tournoi in 1997 and went onto referee the African Nations' Cup in 1998. He died after a long battle with cancer.

Belqola was born in Tiflet, Morocco and worked in Fez as a civil servant as a customs officer. He presented the ball from the 1998 Final to the French Football Federation after accepting payment which he donated to local charities in Tiflet. He was buried in Tiflet.