By Dayo Awoniyi
Two of Nigeria’s top referees, Aminu Shamtali Shuaibu and Muhammadu Yakubu, have been selected to officiate at the upcoming U20 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Egypt.
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) unveiled the official list of selected referees on Thursday, with Shuaibu and Yakubu among the 14 centre referees and 15 assistant referees chosen for the prestigious tournament.
This selection marks a major accomplishment for Nigerian referees, especially after their earlier exclusion from officiating roles at the ongoing U17 African Cup of Nations in Morocco.
The U20 AFCON tournament is set to kick off on April 26, 2025, in Egypt, and will showcase some of Africa’s top young footballing talents from across the continent.
In addition to the referees, the CAF list also includes 10 Video Assistant Referees (VAR), one CAF committee member, three assessors, six instructors, five CAF staff members, and three IT support and VAR technicians.
Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. He began his career at Goal.com in February 2014, where he served as an African women's football correspondent for nearly eight years. During his tenure at Goal.com, Samuel covered major events such as three Women's Africa Cup of Nations (2016, 2018, 2022) and the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada plus 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. His work at Goal.com earned him widespread acclaim, particularly for his in-depth profiles of African football stars, notably Asisat Oshoala, whose rise he documented from her early years to her breakthrough at the FIFA U20 Women's World Cup in 2014. Prior to his role at Goal.com, Samuel freelanced for various print and broadcast media outlets in Nigeria, including Graphics Newspaper, Radio Nigeria, Grace FM, and Savid Newspaper. His extensive experience and expertise led to his appointment to the Nigeria Football Federation's Standing Committee on Women's Football Development from 2016 to 2018. Since February 2018, Samuel has been the Social Media Manager for Nigeria's women's national teams.In 2019, Samuel joined the Confederation of African Football (CAF) as a women's football content contributor and was promoted to Women's Football Editor in 2021. His contributions to women's football continued as he worked as a Media Consultant for Content Creation and Editorials at the 2022 CAF Women's Champions League. Currently, Samuel also serves as the spokesman for the Nigeria Women Football League, further solidifying his influence and dedication to the growth of women's football in Africa.
