Abuja, Aug. 30, 2024
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has selected Egyptian referee, Amin Omar, for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifying match between Nigeria’s Super Eagles and the Cheetahs of Benin Republic.
Ademola Olajire, Director of Communications at the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) stated this in a statement on Friday in Abuja.
“The matchday 1 encounter, scheduled for the Godswill Akpabio Stadium in Uyo, will kick off at 5pm Nigeria time,” he said.
He said that Omar would be assisted by his compatriots Mahmoud Abouelregal, Assistant Referee 1, Ahmad Hossam Taha, Assistant Referee 2 and Ahmed ElGhandour, fourth Official.
According to Olajire, the match would be the baptism for the new Super Eagles head coach, Bruno Labbadia.
He said that CAF has also appointed Ghanaian official, Munkaila Adam as commissioner, with Fatou Gaye from Senegal to serve as referee assessor and Ivorian Atte Claude Elloh in the role of security officer.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Nigeria is in Group D with Benin, Libya and Rwanda.
The 2025 AFCON is scheduled for Dec. 21, 2025 to Jan. 18, 2026 in Morocco.
It would be the first time in the AFCON history that the tournament will kick off in December and run over to the Christmas and New Year periods.
