Referees Tom Abongile (R) and Akhona Makalima (L) (Photos by Imago)
The Super Eagles of Nigeria will trade tackles with the Panthers of Gabon next week in the semifinal of the continental World Cup playoffs.
The winner of the game will then take on the winner of the game between Cameroon and DR Congo.
Ahead of the game, the FIFA has announced the referees who will officiate the fixture. Interestingly three of them are from South Africa. Tom Abongile will be the centre referee, Zakhele Siwela one of the assistant referees, and Akhona Makalima as one of the video assistant referres (VAR).
Why This is a Problem
Ordinarily, this would not have been a big issue, as South African referees are some of the best on the continent.
But recently, there has been a subtle agenda from some South African officials to make things hard for Nigerian teams.
Recall that last month, in Nigeria’s penultimate World Cup Qualifiers against Lesotho, some Super Eagles players arrived in camp late due to passport issues.
Then, South Africa’s minister of sports, arts, and culture, Gayton Mckenzie also said, in a controversial interview, that he did not wish to see Nigeria qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
What Gayton Mckenzie Said About The Super Eagles
The South African minister was displeased with FIFA’s decision to punish them for fielding an ineligible player.
He felt that Nigerian football officials influenced FIFA to punish South Africa, as that would directly benefit the Super Eagles. So, in a radio show in a local South African radio station, he went ballistic on Nigeria.
“I heard you saying earlier that we [South Africa] were rooting also for Nigeria. I want to make it very clear that I wish for them not to qualify [for the 2026 FIFA World Cup],” McKenzie said, per The Cable.
“I knew what they did behind the scenes for us not to get there (qualify for the World Cup). I want them to lose; they will not go to the World Cup, and another African country must go,” he added.
Top Nigerian Journalists Express Dissatisfaction With FIFA’s Choice Of Referees
This situation has caused an uproar in sections of the Nigerian media, as many of them believe that FIFA should have chosen referees from neutral countries to officiate the game between Gabon and the Super Eagles.
Some officials of @thenff are up in arms over the appointment of a refereeing team from #SouthAfrica, for the @NGSuperEagles November 13th #FIFAWorldCup playoff match against #Gabon in Rabat. #FIFA’s letter of 3 November appoints Tom Abongile (in pink) as centre ref, Zakhele… pic.twitter.com/putdxDiQuh
— Osasu Obayiuwana (@osasuo) November 6, 2025
Notable journalists like Sulaiman Adebayo and Osasu Obayiuwana have even called FIFA to change them.
“Why will CAF appoint officials from teams will were together in the same WC qualifying group to officiate a big match like this. By history, this should be done by CAF,” Adebayo wrote on his X page.
With just about seven days left until the game between Nigeria and Gabon, the referees can still be switched. If not, Nigerian fans can only hope that the referres will be fair in their officiating.