BY KUNLE SOLAJA.
The Confederation Africaine de Football (CAF) has named 68 match officials for the Africa Cup of Nations holding next month in Cote d’Ivoire.
Overall, there are 26 match referees, 30 assistant referees and 12 Video Assistant Referees (VAR). Expectedly, Nigerian referees were not found good enough for the continent’s premier football competition.
While there is no Nigerian official, Morocco feature prominently in the three tiers of officiating having three of the 26 referees, two of the 30 Assistant Referees and two of the 12 VAR officials totaling seven.
Egypt also have two referees, two assistant referees and also, two VAR officials. Ostensibly, the VAR officials are drawn from the African countries where VAR is operative.
VAR is currently not in operation in Nigeria’s domestic games. According to a release by CAF, all selected referees are expected to arrive in Cote d’Ivoire on 5 January 2024 for a refresher course which will be inclusive of physical and theoretical testing of all officials.
For a full list of referees – CLICK HERE
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