CAF drops referee list — Nigeria missing, and the shame is very loud

By Maxwell Kumoye 

 

 

 

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has released the full roster of 73 referees, assistant referees and VAR officials for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco and Nigeria, Africa’s supposed football giant, did not make the cut.

Not one referee. Not one assistant. Not one VAR official. Zero.

For a country that boasts one of the continent’s biggest leagues, richest football history, and a national team tipped among the favourites for the AFCON title, the omission is more than an embarrassment — it's a brutal reminder of a broken refereeing system that has refused to evolve.

While smaller football nations like Eswatini, Niger, Djibouti, Rwanda, Lesotho, Benin, and even Sao Tome & Principe proudly earned representation, Nigeria, the self-proclaimed “giant of Africa”, sat outside the door, uninvited.

This is not a curse. We are the cause.

For years, the NPFL has battled credibility crises:

• Inconsistent officiating

• Questionable match control

• Poor referee development

• Allegations of intimidation and interference

• A lack of modern training culture

CAF has simply sent the loudest message possible,Africa cannot trust Nigerian referees at the highest level.

Yet, ironically, Nigeria will travel to Morocco as one of the favourites on the pitch — a stark contrast to the empty space representing the country in the officials’ list.

Is CAF making a statement? Is this a deliberate slap? Or is Nigeria finally paying for years of ignoring the rot in its officiating department?

Whatever the case, the truth is clear: You cannot demand continental respect with local standards that are scraping the floor.

Until Nigeria fixes its refereeing structure — training, fitness, integrity systems, and inde the country will continue to dominate conversations, not for excellence, but for absence.

AFCON 2025 will go on.

Three points will still be up for grabs. Nigeria will still chase the trophy.

But the whistle? The flag? The VAR screen? None of them will be held by a Nigerian. And that is the real defeat.