The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has once again overlooked Nigerian referees in its latest list of match officials for the 2025 African Nations Championship (CHAN), scheduled to take place from August 2 to 30, 2025.
The continental football body named a total of 75 officials, comprising 26 centre referees, 26 assistant referees, 18 Video Match Officials (VMOs), and 5 instructors. Despite Nigeria’s prominence in African football, no Nigerian official made the cut.
This is not the first time Nigeria has been excluded from CAF’s high-profile referee appointments, raising concerns about the status and development of refereeing standards within the country.
Analysts believe the consistent snub could be linked to issues ranging from inadequate international exposure to lack of CAF or FIFA certification among local referees. Morocco leads the list of appointed officials with seven representatives, while countries like Algeria, Cameroon, and Uganda also have significant representation.
The exclusion has sparked disappointment among stakeholders in Nigerian football, with calls on the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to invest more in referee training and international accreditation.
The CHAN 2025tournament, to be jointly hosted by Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda, is expected to serve as a rehearsal for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), which will also be staged in the same countries. Nigerian referees’ continued absence from such platforms could undermine the country’s influence in African football administration and technical development.
