FRMF President Fouzi Lekjaa, on behalf of the Executive Committee, expressed his condolences and “his deepest sympathy to the family and relatives of former international referee Jilali Gharib, as well as to the entire Moroccan football family, following his passing on Sunday, August 2, 2026.”
An assistant referee at the 1994 FIFA World Cup in the United States, the late Jilali Gharib was regarded as one of the leading figures in Moroccan refereeing. He was part of the officiating team for several matches during the tournament, including the third-place play-off between Sweden and Bulgaria on July 16, 1994.
Born on June 3, 1952, in Oujda, Gharib began his refereeing career in the late 1970s before becoming a national referee in 1987. Seven years later, he made history by becoming the first Moroccan assistant referee to officiate at a FIFA World Cup, serving alongside Mauritian referee Lim Kee Chong. He also worked as an assistant referee during the group-stage match between the United States and Colombia in Los Angeles.
Gharib was also the first Moroccan referee to officiate at the Olympic Games, making his debut at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. He later took charge of several matches at the 1996 AFC Asian Cup, further cementing his place in the history of Moroccan refereeing.
