No Nigerian referee will officiate at the 2024 African Cup of Nations, after being snubbed by CAF for the continental showpiece.
The Nigeria Premier Football League is currently on, with a mixed review for referees since the 2023/24 season commenced.
It must be noted that a high level of improvement has been witnessed in this campaign, in comparison to previous seasons.
However, there have also been notable and graven errors made by referees this campaign, and such spotlighted errors have over time affected their chances of featuring in international tournaments.
Samuel Pwadutakam was the last and only referee from Nigeria selected in the last edition of the Africa Cup of Nations, and he featured as an assistant referee at the tournament.
Despite a decent list of referees from the nation dubbed as the “giant of Africa”, it has been herculean in recent years for CAF to pick a referee from the nation.
This has largely been due to several years of poor officiating and possibly the inability to grow with the trends in the industry.
Additionally, fitness might have been an issue in recent editions, and that probably would have resulted in the continuous scarcity of Nigerian referees at even African tournaments.
This has grown to breaking point and as such it must be addressed because it is indeed a worrisome trend.
Meanwhile, these are the other nations with no representatives at the 2023 African Cup of Nations to be held in Ivory Coast.
Botswana, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Comoros, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Eswatini, Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, Liberia, and Malawi are also countries with no referee officiating at the tournament.
Namibia, Niger, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda and Zimbabwe also have no officials present at the tournament with regards to handling games.
The 2023 African Cup of Nations will be in full swing from the 13th of January 2024 to the 11th of February 2024.
The first encounter will involve hosts Cote d'Ivoire and Guinea-Bissau, with the game to be played at the Alassane Ouattara Stadium in Abidjan.
Meanwhile, Gambian referee Bakary Gassama, who is lauded as one of the best to have officiated on the continent and globally, won't be at the tournament, having retired in 2023.
He has handled several big matches on the continent and even globally, with his manner of refereeing also earning him respect across the globe.
Gassama was also selected for some matches at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, likewise the previous editions in 2018 and 2014.
Bakary Gassama officiated the 2015 African Cup of Nations final involving Ghana and Cote d'Ivoire, and he was impressive in his handling of the game.
South African referee Victor Gomes, who officiated the 2021 AFCON final between Egypt and Senegal has also retired.
Gomes' retirement from officiating the beautiful game came after he handled the 2022 FIFA World Cup held in Qatar.
The Nigeria Premier Football League is currently on, with a mixed review for referees since the 2023/24 season commenced.
It must be noted that a high level of improvement has been witnessed in this campaign, in comparison to previous seasons.
However, there have also been notable and graven errors made by referees this campaign, and such spotlighted errors have over time affected their chances of featuring in international tournaments.
Samuel Pwadutakam was the last and only referee from Nigeria selected in the last edition of the Africa Cup of Nations, and he featured as an assistant referee at the tournament.
Despite a decent list of referees from the nation dubbed as the “giant of Africa”, it has been herculean in recent years for CAF to pick a referee from the nation.
This has largely been due to several years of poor officiating and possibly the inability to grow with the trends in the industry.
Additionally, fitness might have been an issue in recent editions, and that probably would have resulted in the continuous scarcity of Nigerian referees at even African tournaments.
This has grown to breaking point and as such it must be addressed because it is indeed a worrisome trend.
Meanwhile, these are the other nations with no representatives at the 2023 African Cup of Nations to be held in Ivory Coast.
Botswana, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Comoros, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Eswatini, Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, Liberia, and Malawi are also countries with no referee officiating at the tournament.
Namibia, Niger, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda and Zimbabwe also have no officials present at the tournament with regards to handling games.
The 2023 African Cup of Nations will be in full swing from the 13th of January 2024 to the 11th of February 2024.
The first encounter will involve hosts Cote d'Ivoire and Guinea-Bissau, with the game to be played at the Alassane Ouattara Stadium in Abidjan.
Meanwhile, Gambian referee Bakary Gassama, who is lauded as one of the best to have officiated on the continent and globally, won't be at the tournament, having retired in 2023.
He has handled several big matches on the continent and even globally, with his manner of refereeing also earning him respect across the globe.
Gassama was also selected for some matches at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, likewise the previous editions in 2018 and 2014.
Bakary Gassama officiated the 2015 African Cup of Nations final involving Ghana and Cote d'Ivoire, and he was impressive in his handling of the game.
South African referee Victor Gomes, who officiated the 2021 AFCON final between Egypt and Senegal has also retired.
Gomes' retirement from officiating the beautiful game came after he handled the 2022 FIFA World Cup held in Qatar.