No Nigerian referee as CAF unveil officials for 2025 AFCON in Morocco

There will be no Nigerian referee at the upcoming 2025 Africa Cup of Nations after failing to make the cut for the 73-man list selected from the continent.

The approved group includes 28 referees, 31 assistant referees and 14 VAR officials drawn from countries such as Benin, Gabon, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Mali, Niger, Mauritania and Senegal.

Nigeria, a three-time African champion, is the only former AFCON-winning West African nation without a representative.

The development has deepened concerns about Nigeria’s declining influence in African officiating, even as the country remains one of the continent’s top performers on the pitch.

According to CAF, the appointments reflect its commitment to “refereeing excellence” and a strategy built on consistency, technical improvement and tournament integrity.

The officials for the tournament include, Ghorbal Mustapha, Gamou Youcef (Algeria), Djindo Louis Houngnandande (Benin), Mdabihawenimana Pacifique (Burundi), Nfere Aboub Abdoul (Cameroon), Alhadji Allalou Mahamat (Chad), Messie Jessie Oved N. Moutouo (Congo), Kpan Clement Franklin (Ivory Coast), Ndala Ngambo Jean-Jacques (DR Congo), Mohamed Mansour Maarouf, Amin Mohamed Omar (Egypt), Atcho Pierre Ghislain (Gabon) and Mebiame Patrice Tanguy (Gabon).

Others include: Kamaku Peter Waweru (Kenya), Traore Boubou (Mali), Abdel Aziz Bouh (Mauritania), Dahane Beida (Mauritania), Herallal Ahmed Imtehaz (Mauritius), Jalal Jayed, Kach Grafe Mustapha (Morocco), Uwikunda Samuel (Rwanda), Issa Sy (Senegal), Omar Abdulkadir Artan (Somalia), Abongile Tom (South Africa), Mahmood Ali Mahmood Ismail (Sudan), Mehrez Melki (Tunisia), and Shamira Nabadda (Uganda).

The rest of the officials will serve as Video Assistant Referees at the tournament, which starts on December 21 and ends on January 18.