Sports
Why Nigerian Referees Are Not Officiating At AFCON — CAF

The Confederation of African Football has revealed why Nigerian referees are not selected to officiate at the Africa Cup of Nations and other football tournaments on the continent.
Head of Refereeing at the CAF, Noumandiez Doue, while speaking on Thursday during a CAF referees training session at Sol Beni (ASEC Mimosas Training Centre) in Abidjan, said Nigerian referees are good but need to do more.
No Nigerian referee has been selected among the officials for the biennial competition for 18 years, this decision has, however, been debated among football stakeholders within the country.
READ ALSO: AFCON 2023: Ivory Coast To ‘Loan’ Coach Until End Of Tournament
In September, Nigerian football fans bemoaned the released lists of referees for the 2023 Total Energies Africa Cup of Nations ongoing in Cote d’Ivoire in 2024 for not having any referee from the country.
Justifying this, Doue said CAF goes for the best on the continent and not just average referees.
“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 come to the CAF competitions.
READ ALSO: AFCON: Tanzania Sacks Head Coach Seven Days Into Tournament
“Nigeria referees are improving but they need to do more to be among the best because the selection has started in the last one and a half years.
“We are in the scouting process of evaluating and to the end of selection.
“We have different stages, you start from young talent to elite B, elite A, and professional, it’s among the elite B we picked for the AFCON,” he said.
Sports
JUST IN: Full Draw For 2026 World Cup Group Stages Confirmed

The draw for the group stage of the 2026 World Cup has been conducted.
It took place at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., with US President Donald Trump and FIFA President Gianni Infantino in charge.
There will be 48 teams at next year’s tournament, to be played across the United States, Mexico and Canada.
All the participating countries were grouped into 12 groups of four.
Here is the full draw:
READ ALSO:Trump Unveils Fast-track Visas For World Cup Ticket Holders
Group A: Mexico, South Africa, South Korea, Winner Play-off D
Group B: Canada, Winner Play-off A, Qatar, Switzerland
Group C: Brazil, Morocco, Haiti, Scotland
Group D: United States, Paraguay, Australia, Winner Play-off C
Group E: Germany, Curaçao, Ivory Coast, Ecuador
Group F: Netherlands, Japan, Winner Play-off B, Tunisia
Group G: Belgium, Egypt, Iran, New Zealand
Group H: Spain, Cape Verde, Saudi Arabia, Uruguay
Group I: France, Senegal, Winner Play-off 2, Norway
Group J: Argentina, Algeria, Austria, Jordan
Group K: Portugal, Winner Play-off 1, Colombia, Uzbekistan
Group L: England, Croatia, Panama, Ghana
Sports
EPL: Mikel Obi Reveals Why Chelsea Failed To Beat Arsenal in 1-1 Draw

Former Super Eagles midfielder, John Mikel Obi, has claimed Chelsea failed to defeat Arsenal in the Premier League on Sunday, because of an early red card to Moises Caicedo.
The two London rivals played out a pulsating 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge.
Caicedo was sent off in the 38th minute following a VAR check.
READ ALSO:EPL: Why Arsenal Could Win The Title This Season – Guardiola
But it was Chelsea who took the lead after the break, thanks to Trevor Chalobah’s header.
But the Gunners equalized through Mikel Merino.
So far this season, Chelsea have received seven red cards in 20 games across all competitions this season.
READ ALSO:EPL: Alan Smith Names Only Two Clubs To Compete For Title
“That’s four red cards this season; it’s not good enough. I’ve spoken about it; the manager needs to talk with the players, because it’s costing us games as well,” Mikel Obi said on his podcast.
“If you look at that game, if we finished with eleven men, I think we could’ve won. Maybe not easily, but comfortably, we could’ve secured a win.”
Sports
EPL: Slot Reveals When Salah Will Leave For AFCON

Liverpool manager, Arne Slot, has revealed that Mohamed Salah was “not happy” to be dropped for their 2-0 win at West Ham on Sunday.
Salah was named on the bench at the London Stadium for the Premier League fixture.
Slot took the bold decision, as he looked to arrest a poor run of form, that saw the Reds lose nine of 12 matches.
READ ALSO:EPL: Berbatov Names Team That Can ‘Surprise’ Arsenal In Title Race
Salah was not summoned from the bench for the entire 90 minutes, as goals from Alexander Isak and Cody Gakpo sealed victory.
“It was a normal reaction for a player who is good enough to play for us,” Slot said.
“I say that mildly as he’s been so outstanding for this club and will be in the future. He wasn’t happy he wasn’t starting but he wasn’t the only one.”
READ ALSO:EPL: Man Utd Suffer Fresh Injury Blow Ahead Of Everton Clash
Salah could yet return to the starting line-up as Liverpool host Sunderland in the Premier League on Wednesday night.
The 33-year-old will remain available for the next four matches, before he leaves to join Egypt’s squad for the African Cup of Nations.
“It’s 15 December,” Slot confirmed.
“But always in these situations there is the player and the national team involved and there are always talks about what is best for all three of us.”
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