Sports Minister Enoh Expresses Frustration Over Nigerian Referees' Exclusion from AFCON 2023

Nigeria's Minister of Sports Development, Senator John Owan Enoh, has expressed his disappointment regarding the absence of Nigerian referees among the match officials selected for the upcoming 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, which will be hosted by Cote D’Ivoire from January 13 to February 11, 2024.
The 34th Africa Cup of Nations is scheduled to take place across five cities in Cote D’Ivoire. Nigeria's Super Eagles, three-time African Champions, secured participation by topping Group A in the qualifying series.

Senator Enoh voiced his concerns, saying, "Given Nigeria's population and its football pedigree, the country should not be facing such a predicament. I will engage with relevant bodies to address this issue moving forward."

He continued, "I was informed that in the last AFCON (2021), Nigeria had only one assistant referee among the match officials. Two years earlier, we didn't have any center referee listed either. Looking ahead to the next AFCON, we still won't have any Nigerian officials."

The minister emphasized his intent to investigate this matter further and hold discussions with the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF), the Referees’ Association, and the League Board to understand the underlying reasons behind this situation.

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