Refereeing Chief Rejects Claims Nigeria Was Snubbed For AFCON 2025

Nigeria’s refereeing leadership has dismissed talk that the Confederation of African Football deliberately left the country out of its officiating team for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Morocco.

Naija News reports that CAF published a list of 73 match officials for the tournament, covering referees, assistant referees and VAR specialists.

Many supporters questioned how a nation with Nigeria’s stature in African football could be missing entirely.

The President of the Nigeria Referees Association, Sani Zubairu, has now moved to clear the air.

Zubairu, a retired FIFA referee, said the suggestion that CAF shut out the country was unfair and did not reflect what truly happened.

“It is wrong to say Nigeria officials were neglected or ignored, we were invited,” he told the Telegraph.

He explained that two Nigerian officials with FIFA badges were involved in the early stages of selection. Both attended CAF’s preparatory programmes in Egypt, only for their hopes to end during the crucial assessments.

He said, “We have the centre referee and assistant referee who were invited when they went for a course in Egypt. Unfortunately, our referees did not pass the physical and technical test and were dropped.

“So that is the issue. It’s very unfortunate to know that we were invited, given the opportunity but we couldn’t make it. So that is the position.”

Zubairu said CAF’s selection process is not a formality. He described it as a tough screening system that examines officials on several fronts.

“Once you are invited, it’s a screening exercise, it’s a test, you have to participate in the physical, tactical and medical test. And once you do that, from there, the officials that are going to be used for the tournament are picked, so that’s what happened,” he added.

The referee roster features officials from Ghana, Senegal, Côte d’Ivoire, Mali, Gabon, Benin, Niger and Mauritania, leaving Nigeria as the only former AFCON champion in West Africa without a place.

AFCON 2025 will take place from 21 December 2025 to 18 January 2026.

All selected officials are due in Morocco by 15 December for a demanding build-up that includes fitness work, technical drills and theoretical sessions ahead of kick-off.