By Eby Emenike
When the Confederation of African Football (CAF) unveiled the list of match officials for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco, a worrying detail jumped out: Nigeria was nowhere to be found. Not a referee, not an assistant referee, not even a video match official.
For a country that proudly calls itself the “giant of Africa” in football, the omission is more than symbolic. It is alarming.
Nigeria’s last appearance in AFCON officiating dates back to 2006, when Emmanuel Imiere handled a group-stage encounter between Guinea and Zambia in Alexandria. Nineteen years later, a new generation of African referees is emerging—and Nigeria has no seat at the table.
Continental Comparison
The contrast is stark:
- Egypt – 6 officials
- Algeria – 5
- Morocco – 5
- Nigeria – 0
Even smaller football nations such as Benin, Eswatini and São Tomé & Príncipe are represented.
Why Has Nigeria Fallen Behind?
Football insiders point to three interconnected factors.
Training Gaps:
CAF now requires stringent certification, including VAR competence. Nigerian referees have lagged behind these evolving standards, and few have transitioned into the modern refereeing ecosystem.
Governance Failures:
Refereeing development has not featured prominently in Nigeria’s football administration agenda. Without structured national training pathways, Nigerian officials are left out of CAF’s refereeing pipeline.
Systemic Neglect:
Experts argue this is not a case of individuals failing to rise—it is a system that has stopped producing elite match officials.
A Continental Shift—Women Step Forward
While Nigeria sits out, CAF is expanding the horizon of African officiating. The inclusion of female referees and assistants reflects a progressive shift. Names like Uganda’s Shamirah Nabadda, Cameroon’s Carine Fomo, and Zambia’s Diana Chikotesha underline the arrival of women at the heart of the African game.
This is inclusion in real time—and Nigeria is missing from that story too.
What Must Change
Nigeria’s absence at AFCON 2025 should be a call to action. Investment in refereeing development, modernization of training programmes, and a coherent strategy for talent identification are urgently required.
Football is more than players, coaches and goals. It is officiating, governance, and the structures that hold the entire ecosystem together.
Nigeria cannot continue to boast of football greatness if it remains empty-handed each time Africa’s biggest football event calls on the continent’s best officials. The question now is whether Nigerian football authorities will respond—with policy, investment, and vision—or watch quietly from the sidelines.
As Africa takes steps forward, the danger is that Nigeria may be taking steps back.
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