Afrigather 
The Confederation of African Soccer (CAF) has introduced the inclusion of a Nigerian referee, Musa Dung Davou, among the many match officers for the upcoming Futsal African Nations Cup match, Soccernet.ng experiences.
Hailing from Plateau State, the referee is recognised as one of many Futsal FIFA referees from Nigeria, having efficiently handed health and medical exams, demonstrating readiness for the competitors.
In Nigerian Referee Affiliation’s historical past, the closest a Nigerian referee got here to officiating on the FIFA World Cup was in 2013 when FIFA Peter Elgam Edibi made the provisional record for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
In the meantime, the final time a Nigerian referee served because the centre referee in a Nations Cup recreation was in 2006, marking 18 years since a Nigerian referee officiated on the match.
The Confederation of African Soccer in 2021 revealed an inventory of 63 referees to supervise video games on the Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon. Of them, only one Nigerian, Samuel Pwadutakam, was chosen.
Breaking a longstanding development, regardless of being a futsal competitors, the inclusion of a Nigerian as one of many match officers for a football-based recreation performed on a hardcourt like a basketball courtroom marks a major milestone.
Nigerian soccer referees have confronted heavy criticism following their current exclusion from the record of officers chosen by the Confederation of African Soccer, notably from the just-concluded 2023 Africa Cup of Nations tournament.
This snub by CAF has elicited widespread condemnation from Nigerian soccer stakeholders, who attribute it to systematic failure.
In an earlier assertion to Soccernet.ng, Want Noumandiez Doue, the Head of Refereeing at CAF, addressed the exclusion of Nigerian referees from the 2023 African Cup of Nations roster, citing that they weren’t chosen as a result of they weren’t deemed the perfect.
“We don’t want good referees; good referees are for the MAs, and good referees are for the zone. In CAF,, we’d like the perfect, so Nigerian referees are good, however they’ll nonetheless enhance in the event that they want help. They should do extra to be among the many finest as a result of the choice has been began for one 12 months and a half, so we’re in a steady means of scouting, evaluating, and choosing,” he acknowledged.
Nevertheless, current developments counsel progress, with Nigerian referees now assembly the required requirements, as evidenced by their choice for this competitors.
Trying forward, it’s anticipated that people like Davou will leverage their wealth of expertise to excel and turn into distinguished Futsal referees on the continent.
N.B: What are your ideas a couple of Nigerian referee’s inclusion after a few years? Depart your feedback beneath.
Ayomide Oguntimehin
Ayomide Oguntimehin is a CAF-accredited sports activities journalist and an Editor at Soccernet.ng, with a confirmed observe document in conducting interviews with Tremendous Eagles stars corresponding to William Troost-Ekong, Taiwo Awoniyi, Vibrant Osayi-Samuel, Ademola Lookman, and plenty of others. He has additionally made a major impression in breaking switch information tales.
Grounded in video modifying, video journalism, social media administration, and content material technique, Ayomide brings a wealth of experience to his work.
With a Bachelor’s diploma in English Language from Adeyemi Faculty of Training and a Grasp’s Diploma in College Library and Media Know-how from the College of Ibadan, Ayomide is well-prepared to excel within the area.
