CAF recently listed 85 referees, comprising centre referees, assistant referees, Video Assistant Referees (VARs), technical instructors, physical trainers, VAR technicians, and IT support to undergo a preparation course for the 2024 AFCON holding in various cities Ivory coast. 

In February, 29 Nigerian referees were awarded the FIFA badges, the highest qualification in the profession. Sadly, none of them made the list. It is also the 13th time that no Nigerian referee will be officiating at the AFCON.

This latest snub by CAF has led to public out cry leading to the Minister of Sports Development Senator John Enoh holding a meeting with the leadership of Nigerian Premier Football League (NPFL) club owners, referees and NFF. 

In that meeting, Senator Enoh insisted  that we must strive to get it right this time, because we cannot afford to keep going in circles. He said  things must be put in place to create an enabling environment for officiating to be at a higher level in the country. 

Quoting his words, he said “referees are an important part of football and their performance can have an impact on results, general ranking of our league and the kind of image we have, so we have to get it right,”. 

The Minister didn't fail to expressed his disappointment with the development from the Confederation of African Football (CAF) and called for urgent measures to address the issue.

 Some Nigerian football stakeholders have blamed the usual snub from FIFA and CAF on systematic failure. 

They have expressed fear that if something is not done urgently to address some of the problems that have bedevilled the NRA, in no distant future, no Nigerian referee will be considered good enough to handle even CAF inter-club competitions.

Some have called on the President of NFF  to declare an emergency in the Nigeria Refereeing.

Others believes that corruption in the NRA and its members who are appointed to officiate matches has put a big question mark on the integrity of Nigerian referees.

Box 18 made spirited efforts to extract comments from the leadership of the referees, but as expected, no one was forthcoming. The closest we got was throwing back the blame to Nigerians and the media. 

According to him, "In Nigeria, we told the whole world that our Referees are not good, are corrupt, takes bribe and engage in match fixing, *yet we expect FIFA or CAF to consider them for tournaments?*
 Whenever a match is played and a team lost, *adherent/media loyalist of that team will paint a picture that tend to destroy the image and abilities of such Referee. 
Do U think those in CAF/FIFA Refereeing departments don't read what we say about each of our Referees, including the international ones?

Have we ever tried in our own little knowledge and experience to ask about the problems football encounter countered such issues raised? NO.

When Rivers United had caused a publication on our two topmost Referees & AR that we were projecting for AFCON, some of us were tagged as WICKED SOULS and enemy of Rivers Utd. Today, Nigeria is suffering the consequences. 

Lets continue to condemn our own and we will continue to reap the consequences of our actions.

_Referees are not perfect but here its not about *whether the decision of a Referee is right or wrong. Rather its whether its favorable or unfavorable.*_

Its all about self and group interests, and any Referee that did not subscribe to that group's interest must be brought down, destroyed using 
the media
We are already faced with Anglophone-Francophone politics in the sub-region, and virtually most personnel in CAF/WAFU Refereeing department are from the Francophone countries. Then, we say ours are criminals, did we not make it easy for other countries that their football is nothing to write home about.
We are the architect of what we are experiencing. 

The truth is that there are good referees in Nigeria but the systematic problem has made it difficult for the country  not to be listed among the best in the continent. 

Unknown to many, the Nigeria Referees Association does not shortlist the referees for enlistment in FIFA. The responsibility is bestowed on the Referees Committee of the NFF. Only recently that a retired referee was allowed to head the committee. The past 12 years have seen none referees taking the responsibility of heading the Committee. This has led to nepotism, tribalism, religious bigotry, among others. 

Nigeria referees constant exclusion from CAF and FIFA Championships is caused by defective selection. Yes, we have good referees that can stand out among the best in the world, but those who shortlist them, are they doing the right thing? 

Many of the good referees are not shortlisted when it is time to send names to FIFA. It is then that we bring all the ethnic and religious bigotry into play to deprive the good ones the opportunity.

Nigerians should  ask the referees committee of NFF why the referees whose names they submit regularly doesn't meet all the criteria outlined by FIFA and CAF. 

According to CAF the Referees and assistant referees designated for AFCON must be on the current annual FIFA list of international referees and assistant referees. The procedure of their designation by CAF Referees’ Committee.

 The question is why are our referees not always on the list. Very simple, we have failed to the do the right things. We cannot eat out cake and have. We have sold our slot on the basis of tribal and religious bigotry, and should not be expecting to be recognized by CAF or FIFA. 

Those crying now, have been instrumental to publicly presenting our referees in bad light. 
 Club Administrators, Club Supporters and fans, media and referees themselves are architects of the CAF snub. 

Blaming the media alone for the improper projection of our referees is absurd.

 Referees, at times make consistent mistakes that left much to desire. 

With the situation we found ourselves now, it may be difficult for us to get any referee listed even in AFCON 2026.

We have to put our house in order. Kudos to Ibrahim Gusau for adhering to FIFA directive of appointing a retired referee to Head the referees Committee. Faith Irabor understands the working of things and hope she will be supported to do the right thing. 

Emphasis should be laid in the organization of Elite Referee Instructors and Assessors course. It should be more regular to keep the referees abreast of recent trends. 

Organization of Refresher courses should be intensified for the referees at regular intervals. 

Monitoring and giving feedback to Referees at their individual Councils on their performances in all competitions should be enhanced.

The Referees Committee should ensure that modern teaching material for Referees, Instructors and Assessors are available and adequate. 

Establishment of development programs to increase the quality and quantity of Instructors at the various  levels within the NRA should be intensified. 

There is a need to plan towards the revisiting the establishment of the Referees Academy. This will involve taking Refereeing to the primary and junior secondary schools.

If we can take it from here and now also, we maybe be thinking of having a mention in AFCON 2028.