The Head of Refereeing at the Confederation of African Football (CAF), Desire Noumandiez Doue, has cited the exclusion of Nigerian referees from the 2023 African Cup of Nations roster, stating that they were not selected because they are not deemed the best, Soccernet.ng reports.
During a CAF referees training session at Sol Beni (ASEC Mimosas Training Centre) in Abidjan on Thursday, Doue emphasised the importance of Nigerian referees enhancing their performance to meet CAF standards.
The last time a Nigerian referee served as the center referee in a Nations Cup game was in 2006, marking 18 years since a Nigerian referee officiated at the tournament.
The Ivorian referee, reacting to why Nigeria has not officiated at AFCON for 18 years, acknowledged that Nigeria has competent referees but urged them to actively participate in CAF competitions.
Doue clarified Soccernet.ng that while Nigeria has good referees for domestic and regional matches, CAF seeks the absolute best for continental competitions like the AFCON.