AFCON 2025: Referee For Algeria Vs Nigeria Game Changed, New Official Appointed
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has removed Somali referee Omar Abdulkadir Artan from officiating the Africa Cup of Nations quarter-final game between Nigeria and Algeria.
Omar Artan was originally appointed to take charge of Saturday’s high-profile encounter, but a report came in on Thursday that he had been dropped.
This was after it was discovered that the celebrated referee wore boots from a brand not approved by the tournament’s official sponsors during an earlier game.
The action was taken because it breaches CAF’s contractual rules with its commercial partners.
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It is a surprising decision, especially because Artan was only recently named CAF’s Referee of the Year and had been praised for his performances in Morocco so far.
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has also appointed a new centre referee for the highly anticipated quarter-final clash between Nigeria’s Super Eagles and Algeria’s Desert Foxes.
Following the change, CAF has now confirmed Senegalese referee Issa Sy as the match official for the crucial fixture, which is scheduled to hold on Saturday in Marrakech.
Issa Sy is no stranger to the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, having served as the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) during the group-stage match between Morocco and Tanzania.
The appointment is expected to calm nerves ahead of the high-stakes encounter, as both Nigeria and Algeria battle for a place in the semi-finals of the competition.
