The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has unveiled a list of 94 referees, video match officials, instructors, and technical assessors selected for a preparatory course ahead of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) with no Nigerian included.
The camp, scheduled for November 8 to 13 in Cairo, Egypt, will serve as part of CAF’s final readiness process before the tournament, which begins in December.
The week-long programme typically focuses on fitness drills, match management, and VAR operations to ensure uniform officiating standards across the competition.
Nigeria’s absence from the list extends the country’s 19-year wait for a referee at Africa’s biggest football event. The last Nigerian centre referee to officiate an AFCON match was Emmanuel Imiere, who handled a group-stage game between Zambia and Guinea at the 2006 edition in Egypt.
In 2015, Peter Edibi appeared as an assistant referee in Equatorial Guinea the last time Nigeria featured among CAF’s officiating crew. Since then, the country has had no representative at the continental showpiece.
Despite producing capable match officials at domestic and regional levels, Nigerian referees have struggled to regain presence on CAF’s elite panel, a concern many in the sport attribute to weak international exposure and administrative neglect.
CAF’s official list includes 51 referees, 11 video match officials (VMOs), 7 instructors, 1 VAR technician, 6 CAF staff, and 3 committee members.
Among those selected are Mustapha Ghorbal and Youcef Gamouh from Algeria, Jean-Jacques Ndala Ngambo of DR Congo, Daniel Nii Ayi Laryea from Ghana, Amin Mohamed Omar of Egypt, and Abongile Tom from South Africa.
Video match officials include Lahlou Benbraham (Algeria), Mahmoud Ashour (Egypt), and Jean Claude Birumushahu (CAF). Alaa Nabil, also from Egypt, is listed as the camp’s VAR technician.
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Referee instructors named for the programme include Janny Sikazwe (Zambia), Raphael Evehe Divine (Cameroon), Felix Tangawarima (Zimbabwe), and Tamer Dorry (Egypt).
Egypt leads all nations in overall representation, followed closely by Algeria and Morocco. South Africa, Cameroon, Senegal, Gabon, Côte d’Ivoire, and DR Congo are also well represented across categories.
CAF’s selections reflect its continued focus on continental diversity and technical balance, with officials drawn from more than 30 African countries.
However, the absence of Nigerian names remains glaring, particularly given the nation’s footballing stature and history of producing respected referees such as Linus Mba, Biodun Matthew, and Peter Edibi.
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Peter Edibi, widely regarded as Nigeria’s most successful referee, officiated in five AFCON tournaments, two African Nations Championships (CHAN), one FIFA U-20 World Cup, and the 2013 FIFA Club World Cup in Morocco before retiring in 2015.
