CAF referee appointments ignite outrage ahead of 2026 World Cup playoffs

CAF faces mounting backlash over how it selected match officials for Africa’s 2026 World Cup playoff semifinals, a decision critics say values geography over ability.

With Cameroon set to meet DR Congo and Nigeria preparing to face Gabon next week, tensions no longer centre only on football.

The controversy stems from claims that CAF deliberately blocked referees from Central and West Africa, the regions of the four competing nations, from officiating either semifinal.

Nigerian journalist Osasu Obayiuwana, citing sources inside African football’s governing body, reported on social media that CAF assigns referees by regional “zones” to avoid claims of bias.

Under this plan, Southern Africa (COSAFA) provides the official for Nigeria vs Gabon, East Africa (CECAFA) supplies the referee for Cameroon vs DR Congo, and North Africa takes charge of the final.

The policy, officials say, aims to reduce allegations of favouritism. Critics say it achieves the opposite.

An unnamed CAF insider openly challenged the choice of South African referee Tom Abongile for the Nigeria vs Gabon clash.

“This decision caused serious disagreement internally,” the source told Nigerian media. “We should have selected referees based on competence, not region.

The same source suggested CAF might still remove Abongile, signalling deep division behind closed doors.

For CAF, the timing could hardly feel worse. The organisation has spent years defending the credibility of African match officials. It has introduced VAR in every playoff fixture to demonstrate accountability, accuracy, and transparency. But the new controversy drowns out that message.

CAF has not issued a statement, but the silence intensifies speculation. Prominent voices across social media accuse the body of replacing fairness with optics.

Others warn the tournament now carries unavoidable reputational risk. With the margins between victory and defeat razor thin, every decision, a penalty, an offside, a challenge, could now trigger fresh accusations and heated debate.

The uproar shifts the spotlight away from players who have spent years chasing World Cup dreams.

Now, the narrative belongs to those with the whistle, not the ball. Confidence in officiating, rather than tactics or team strength, leads Africa’s most important football conversation barely days before kickoff.