Snubbed! Nigerian Referees Missing From CHAN 2025 List As Zambia Star Targets Super Falcons

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has unveiled the list of 70 officials selected to officiate at the 2025 African Nations Championship (CHAN), scheduled to take place from August 2 to 30, 2025, across Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda.

The lineup includes 26 referees, 26 assistant referees, and 18 Video Match Officials (VMOs) drawn from 30 CAF member nations. However, notably absent from the list are Nigerian referees, continuing a trend of exclusion that has quietly stirred concern in Nigerian football circles for years.

Despite Nigeria’s strong pedigree on the field, the country’s presence in officiating at CAF tournaments remains minimal—an issue often debated among local football stakeholders.

CHAN is a biennial tournament reserved exclusively for players active in their home country’s domestic leagues.

On the women’s football front, anticipation is mounting ahead of a blockbuster WAFCON quarter-final clash between Nigeria’s Super Falcons and Zambia’s Copper Queens, taking place today, July 18, in Morocco.

Zambian captain and reigning African Women’s Footballer of the Year, Barbara Banda, delivered a bold message ahead of the showdown, declaring her team is fearless but focused.

“We are not scared, but we respect them. We know football is 90-plus minutes, and we’ll do our talking on the pitch. We are going out there to hunt,” she said during a pre-match press conference in Casablanca.

Zambia is aiming for a second consecutive semi-final appearance, having edged out Nigeria 1–0 in the bronze medal match of the last tournament.

While the Super Falcons topped Group B without conceding a goal, questions linger about their offensive consistency. With talents aplenty, Coach Justine Madugu’s side must deliver a commanding performance to subdue the confident Zambians.