The Confederation of African Soccer (CAF) has launched the listing of referees and officers chosen for the preparatory course forward of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) scheduled for December.
Nevertheless, conspicuously absent from the listing are Nigerian referees — a growth that has raised contemporary issues concerning the state of officiating within the nation.
In keeping with an insider supply inside CAF, the exclusion stems primarily from an absence of satisfactory VAR coaching and hands-on expertise, which has develop into a key criterion for officiating at main CAF and FIFA competitions.
“One of many core necessities is a minimal of 25 hours of VAR coaching and observe. None of our referees at present meet that commonplace besides one or two — and even they lack ample sensible publicity,” the supply revealed.
Past technical shortfalls, Nigeria’s referees additionally endure from picture and notion challenges, largely fueled by home criticism.
The supply cited a Nigerian referee who had initially been shortlisted for the CHAN event was dropped after a petition was filed towards him on moral grounds — one other setback for Nigeria’s credibility in continental officiating.
“We are able to’t hold condemning our referees publicly and count on others to see them otherwise.”
” After we model them as corrupt or incompetent, it damages their worldwide fame,” the supply added.
Observers say the West African Soccer Union (WAFU), particularly amongst Anglophone nations, should make investments extra in referee schooling and VAR integration.
Whereas Francophone nations similar to Côte d’Ivoire have established structured VAR packages and competitions, Anglophone nations, together with Nigeria, proceed to lag behind.
In distinction, Southern African (COSAFA) nations have developed sturdy VAR coaching programs and continuously collaborate with WAFU members to construct refereeing capability.
Regardless of Nigeria’s wealthy soccer heritage, no referee from the nation has officiated on the Africa Cup of Nations since 2019.
This worrying decline that requires pressing intervention from stakeholders, together with the Nigeria Soccer Federation and the media.
CAF named 101 referees throughout completely different nations on the continent for preparatory course, scheduled for November 8–13 in Cairo, Egypt.
The preparatory course will characteristic bodily health checks, technical assessments, and classes on the newest refereeing applied sciences, together with VAR purposes.
Solely referees who efficiently full this system might be cleared to officiate on the 2025 AFCON in Morocco
