Despite strides in recent international and national games, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) has omitted Nigerian match officials for the 2024 African Nations Championship slated for Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.
CAF has selected a total of 75 officiating officials to take charge of the upcoming 2025 Championships for Africa Nations (CHAN), scheduled to be co-hosted by Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.
The list consists of 26 referees and an equal number of assistants referees. 18 video match officials and five Instructors were also selected to oversee the continental tourney for talents who ply their trade in the domestic leagues.
Morocco was the nation with the most representation on the 75-man shortlist with seven of its citizens making the cut. The sizable number of Moroccans means the North African nation has at least one representative in ever officiating capacity at the first edition of the biennial championships to be hosted by three countries.
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Morocco’s Mohammed Guezzaz will head the list of Instructors for the event, with Jammy Sikazwe of Zambia, Evarist Menkouande from Cameroon, Djibouti’s Mohamed Hussein Ali and Boubaker Hannachi completing the list.
Algeria also scooped a good number of the officiating positions at the event despite the fact that they have consistently refused to put together a team to participate in the continental showpiece.
Five referees from Algiers, four from both Cameroon and co-hosts Uganda along with three from South Africa were also picked.
In the regional breakdown, 20 of the officials are North Africans. While 20 others have West African roots.
This selection reflects the growing excellence of African refereeing, with top officials chosen from across the continent.
Five stadia in four host cities of Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda will use the championship scheduled to hold in August as a dress rehearsal of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations.
