Nigeria has once again been left out of the Confederation of African Football’s (CAF) list of referees selected for the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) 2025, extending the country’s absence to 19 years.
CAF announced that a total of 33 centre referees, 36 assistant referees, and 11 video assistant referees have been shortlisted for preparatory training scheduled to hold in Cairo from November 8 to 13. However, none of the officials on the list is from Nigeria.
The last time a Nigerian referee officiated at the continental tournament was in 2006, when Emmanuel Imiere represented the country. Since then, Nigeria has consistently failed to make CAF’s referee rosters, a situation critics have linked to long-standing issues within the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF).
Football analysts and Nigerian fans on social media platform X have reacted sharply to the continued exclusion, blaming what they describe as systemic neglect, poor training standards, and alleged corruption within the referee development structure.
CAF, on its part, has reportedly cited insufficient improvement in refereeing performance and adherence to international standards as factors behind Nigeria’s prolonged omission.
The development has once again sparked calls for reforms in Nigeria’s football administration and renewed investment in the training and certification of referees, to restore the country’s presence at Africa’s biggest football competition.
Faridah Abdulkadiri
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