By Olusola Alabi
The decision by the Confederation of Africa Football (CAF) , to overlook Nigerian referees at the ongoing 2023 AFCON Football Tournament in Cote d’Ivoire has continue to spark debates among football stakeholders which has prompted a high-ranking official from the African football governing body to provide insights into what actually cause the neglect.
Noumandiez Desire Doue, CAF’s Head of Refereeing and Football Technology in his chat with journalists at the CAF AFCON Referees’ Open Day held at the Asec Mimosa club’s training pitch on Thursday, acknowledged the quality of Nigerian referees while emphasizing the need for continuous improvement.
“You have good referees in Nigeria, and to come to AFCON, you have to be the best.
“Good referees are for the zones; you have to be the best to participate in CAF Competitions. While Nigeria’s referees are making strides, they must strive for excellence as the selection process began over the last 18 minths” he stressed.
According to him, “The scouting process evaluates referees from young talent to elite B, elite A, and professional levels. The chosen referees for AFCON emerged from the elite B category” Doue maintained.