By Ibrahim Danladi

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has unveiled a list of 85 referees selected for a preparatory course in anticipation of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON). Regrettably, no Nigerian referees have been included in this list, which CAF released on Tuesday.

The list comprises center referees, assistant referees, video assistant referees (VAR), technical instructors, physical trainers, VAR technicians, and IT support personnel.

Egypt and Algeria have the highest representation on the list, with each country having three referees selected.

Four VAR referees were chosen from Mauritius, South Africa, Morocco, and Egypt. Additionally, seven technical instructors and physical trainers from Zimbabwe, Burundi, Cote D’Ivoire, Senegal, Morocco, and Djibouti were included.

Nigeria’s Super Eagles will be among the 24 nations competing for the title at the 2023 AFCON finals, with Cote d’Ivoire hosting the competition from January 13 to February 11, 2024.