Nigeria Excluded as CAF Names 85 Referees for 2023 AFCON Training

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has unveiled a list of 85 referees for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Cote D’Ivoire, including center referees, assistant referees, Video Assistant Referees (VARs), technical instructors, physical trainers, VAR technicians, and IT support for a training session.

Referees from about 25 countries were listed to participate in the course that will serve as a refresher for the officials who will officiate at the AFCON in 2023, according to a document titled “List Of Selected Referees To TotalEnergies AFCON Preparation Course.”

Gistlover noticed that no Nigerian referee was on the list, though.

Egypt and Algeria, both in North Africa, have three names listed in the center referees list, followed by Morocco, Mauritania, and Mauritius, each with two. Other nations on the list include Gabon, Ghana, Benin, Congo, Somalia, and a slew of others.

The assistant referees list includes two representatives from each of Morocco, Kenya, Cote D’Ivoire, Algeria, Egypt, and South Africa, as well as lesser-known nations like Comoros, Djibouti, Burkina Faso, and Sao Tome and Principe.

There are four VAR referees chosen from Mauritius, South Africa, Morocco, and Egypt. The following nations were chosen for the technical instructors and physical trainers: Zimbabwe, Burundi, Cote D’Ivoire, Senegal, Morocco, and Djibouti.

The 2023 AFCON finals, which are scheduled to take place from January 13 to February 11, 2024, will feature 24 nations vying for the championship, including Nigeria’s Super Eagles.