No Nigerian Referees for AFCON 2025: NRA Boss Explains the Real Reason

Nigeria’s refereeing chief, Sani Zubairu, has refuted claims that CAF deliberately ignored Nigerian referees in its selection for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco. CAF recently released a 73-man list of referees, assistant referees and VAR officials, with no Nigerian included — a development that raised questions among fans.

Zubairu, President of the Nigeria Referees Association, said the exclusion had nothing to do with bias. “It is wrong to say Nigeria officials were neglected or ignored, we were invited…,” he told the Telegraph. He revealed that two FIFA-graded Nigerian referees attended CAF’s pre-tournament course in Egypt but “did not pass the physical and technical test and were dropped.”

He described CAF’s process as strict, noting that “once you are invited, it’s a screening exercise… you have to participate in the physical, tactical and medical test.” The final list was picked from those who met all requirements.

Nigeria is now the only former AFCON-winning West African nation without a referee at the tournament. AFCON 2025 will run from 21 December 2025 to 18 January 2026, with selected officials reporting to Morocco on 15 December for intensive preparation.