Kenyan referee Aden Range Marwa stands out as the official who came closest to representing the country on football’s biggest stage, the FIFA World Cup, but ultimately never officiated a single match at the tournament.
Marwa was named among FIFA match officials ahead of the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, where he was listed as a reserve assistant referee.
Although his inclusion was viewed as a major milestone for Kenyan officiating, he did not receive any match appointment during the tournament and remained on standby throughout.
Aden Marwa: Referee Who Missed FIFA World Cup After Bribery Scandal
His most significant breakthrough came ahead of the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, when he was again selected on the list of match officials.
The nomination raised expectations that Kenya would finally have an active referee at the global showpiece.
He was among the 63 assistant referees selected for the tournament, and one of only a few officials from East Africa, further raising hopes that he would take charge of matches on the world stage.
The 41-year-old was also one of 15 CAF officials set to participate in the upcoming tournament, and one of only two East Africans set to feature.
However, his World Cup dream ended before the tournament began.
Marwa was linked to a bribery scandal exposed through investigative reporting, which led to his removal from the officiating panel.
A BBC investigative documentary, Betraying the Game, showed him allegedly receiving a US$600 bribe, (about Ksh 78,00 going by the current currency) in what was reported to be a hotel room setting.
The exposé, produced by investigative journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas, was recorded during the 2018 Africa Nations Championship (CHAN) in Morocco.
In the footage, Marwa is heard referring to the money as a “gift” and speaking about friendship.
Following the revelations, he was withdrawn from the World Cup list, ending his chances of officiating at the tournament.
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He forfeited his World Cup earnings, estimated at a minimum of $25,000, along with match fees of about $2,000 per game, after FIFA confirmed he would take no part in the competition.
A FIFA statement later noted that he had resigned from his role as assistant referee ahead of the tournament.
Aden Marwa Speaks on the Expose
It took five years for the Migori County-based official to speak about the allegations. Marwa claimed the investigative journalist behind the exposé framed him.
He said the Ghanaian journalist, Anas Aremeyaw Anas, met him at a hotel and handed him the cash in a friendly manner, telling him to “buy something for his family” after returning home.
“It was at the end of our meeting that he offered me the money, and it was not a bribe. The conversation was something like, ‘why don’t you take this money, at least you buy something for your family when you go back home,’” he said.
Marwa also revealed how the allegations left him in deep distress. He said he tried to clear his name by appealing to the Football Kenya Federation, but one of the officials dismissed him.
“When I contacted them for help, they told me, ‘wewe, kwenda huko, umetuaibisha.’ I have lived with pain and learnt to accept it,” he added.
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Matches He Officiated
Marwa, a mathematics and chemistry teacher from Kotombo Secondary School in Migori County, was in his seventh year as a FIFA-listed referee at the time.
He had earlier made the final list for the 2014 World Cup but did not officiate any match.
He also officiated at major international tournaments, including the 2016 Club World Cup in Japan and the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup.
At the continental level, he featured in multiple Africa Cup of Nations editions, as well as CHAN tournaments, the U-17 World Cup, the CAF U-23 Championship, and the FIFA Club World Cup.
