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CAF snubs Nigeria as 94 referees named for AFCON 2025 training camp in Egypt
By Dayo Awoniyi
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has announced a 94-man list of referees, video match officials, instructors, and assessors invited for a preparatory training camp ahead of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) — with no Nigerian official included.
The camp, scheduled for November 8–13 in Cairo, Egypt, forms part of CAF’s final readiness programme before the continental showpiece kicks off in December. Participants will undergo intensive sessions covering fitness, match management, and Video Assistant Referee (VAR) operations, aimed at ensuring uniform officiating standards throughout the tournament.
Nigeria’s exclusion extends the country’s 19-year absence from AFCON refereeing duties. The last Nigerian referee to officiate at the competition was Emmanuel Imiere, who took charge of the Zambia versus Guinea group-stage match at the 2006 edition in Egypt.
According to CAF, the selected group comprises 51 referees, 11 video match officials, seven instructors, one VAR technician, six CAF staff members, and three committee representatives.
Prominent officials on the list include Algeria’s Mustapha Ghorbal and Youcef Gamouh, Ghana’s Daniel Nii Ayi Laryea, DR Congo’s Jean-Jacques Ndala Ngambo, Egypt’s Amin Mohamed Omar, and South Africa’s Abongile Tom.
Egypt leads in overall representation, followed by Algeria and Morocco, while South Africa, Cameroon, Senegal, Côte d’Ivoire, Gabon, and DR Congo also boast strong presence across categories. Nigeria’s continued omission highlights a lingering gap in the nation’s participation at the elite level of African refereeing.
