Nigerian Referees Snub By CAF For VAR Course

Nigerian referees are not included in the list of African referees for an induction course ahead of the introduction of the Video Assistant Referees to be organised by the continental soccer ruling body CAF.



The preparatory course is scheduled to hold between 24-29 this month with top Referees and six Assistant Referees; but none from Nigeria.

Last month, VAR was approved for the CAF Champions League and Confederation Cup finals by the continental body’s Executive Committee; after gotten top ratings following its testing during the CAF Super Cup in February.

“This is a historic moment for African football.

This shows that CAF is dedicated and committed to the interclub competitions and will not hesitate to implement the latest and innovative technologies to make it better.

“We (CAF) are the first confederation to use VAR in the final of the Club competitions. We did it for the CAF Super Cup and we are delighted to go a step further with the Interclubs competitions,” said CAF General Secretary, Amr Fahmy.

Names and Countries of selected Referees and Assistant Referees:

The selected referees: Victor Gomes (South Africa), Mehdi Abid Charef (Algeria), Janny Sikazwe (Zambia), Ghead Grisha (Egypt), Bamlak Tessema (Ethiopia), and Papa Bakary Gassama (Gambia).

The Assistant Referees: Zakhele Siwela (South Africa), Abdelhak Etchiali (Algeria), Emiliano Jerson Dos Santos (Angola), Jean Claude Birumushahu (Burundi), Anouar Hmila (Tunisia), and Mahmoud Abo El Regal (Egypt).