Desire Noumandiez Doue, the Head of Refereeing at the Confederation of African Football (CAF), has addressed the exclusion of Nigerian referees from the officiating roster of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).

Doue cited the reason for Nigerian Referees not being selected due to the perception that they are not the best available.

Speaking during a CAF referees training session in Abidjan, Doue Exclusively told BRL that Nigeria has competent referees but emphasized the importance of Match Arbiters enhancing their performance to meet CAF standards.

He stated that the exclusion is not a result of a lack of ability but rather a commitment to selecting the absolute best referees for continental competitions like the AFCON.

“You have good referees in Nigeria, but this is our message to them, they need to come to the CAF competition, especially to the AFCON,” the former Referee said.

“However, We don’t need good referees; good referees are for the MAs, and good referees are for the zone, in CAF we need the best, so Nigerian referees are good, but they can still improve if they need assistance.

“They need to do more to be among the best because the selection has been started for one year and a half, so we are in a continuous process of scouting, evaluating, and selecting.”