CAF announces 63 match officials for AFCON, only 1 Nigerian picked

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) on Tuesday released the list of 63 match officials who will officiate at the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) slated for Cameroon. The list consists of 24 referees, 31 assistant referees and eight video assistant referees (VARs) from 36 countries. Only one of the listed officials was however from Nigeria, Samuel Pwadutakam, and he will work as an assistant referee. NAN reports that the tournament, which has Nigeria’s Super Eagles as one of the 24 participating teams, will kick off on Jan. 9 and end on Feb. 6. The opening match is between hosts Cameroon and Burkina Faso at the Olembe Stadium in Yaounde. Speaking on the list of match officials, CAF’s Director of Refereeing, Eddy Maillet said: “The match officials were selected based on their experience, skills and current form.” He disclosed that in recent months, the officials were subjected to several aptitude tests through preparation courses and real competitive matches. “This is because only the best will officiate at this extraordinary event.” The CAF official added that the list of officials has two referees from the CONCACAF, the football governing body of North and Central Americas and the Caribbean. “It is part of our inter-confederation skills exchange programme,” he stated. NAN reports that the woman referee quartet of Salima Mukasanga (Rwanda), Carine Atemzabong (Cameroon), Fatiha Jermoumi (Morocco) and Bouchra Karboubi (Morocco) is on the list. They were at the 2019 Under-17 AFCON and the 2020 African Nations Championship (CHAN). All the selected match officials will complete their final preparations in Cameroon the week before the opening game. They will be closely monitored before and during the competition by a team of technical specialists and instructors. THE FULL LIST OF MATCH OFFICIALS: