Nigeria Missing as CAF Confirms List of AFCON 2025 Match Officials
The Confederation of African Football has released the full roster of referees and assistant referees for the Africa Cup of Nations scheduled for Morocco in 2025, with Nigeria absent once again from the list. The document, made public on Thursday, features match officials drawn from more than thirty African nations, including Algeria, Egypt, Morocco, Senegal, Ghana, Kenya and South Africa. The list covers centre referees, assistant referees and video match officials. Nigeria’s omission follows a continuing pattern in recent years in which no Nigerian referee has made the cut for the continent’s premier tournament. CAF has not issued any explanation for the latest exclusion. The list shows that North, East and Southern African countries dominated the selections, with West African representation coming largely from Ghana, Senegal, Benin, Mali and Côte d’Ivoire. The development has attracted fresh attention within Nigerian football circles, as it adds to ongoing questions about the country’s officiating standards and the performance of referees in continental assessments. With preparations for AFCON 2025 entering a new phase, Nigeria remains outside the cadre of match officials cleared for duty, underscoring an unresolved challenge for football authorities at home.
| 2025-11-28 16:44:37