AFCON 2025: Gusau, Eto'o Challenge CAF On Ref Withdrawal, Appointment

AFCON 2035: Gusau, Eto'o Challenge CAF On Ref Withdrawal, Appointment 

Ibrahim Lateef

Tensions are rising at the Confederation of African Football's AFCON 2025 centre in Rabat, as Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) president Ibrahim Musa Gusau and his Cameroonian counterpart Samuel Eto'o have decisively teamed up to contest CAF's controversial decision to withdraw referees assigned to their respective quarterfinal matches.

 BSNSports.com.ng sourced from Romain Molina, an investigative reporter specialising in football, based in Andalucía, that both federation leaders are vocally set to accuse CAF of bias regarding the unjustified withdrawal and selection of match officials for the AFCON 2025 quarterfinals.

Omar Artan, who was originally selected to officiate the match between Algeria and Nigeria, was abruptly dismissed by CAF after being penalised for wearing cleats from an unapproved brand.

However, it appears that this was merely a pretext, as the Algerian Football Federation (FAF) had lodged a protest claiming that the Somali referee would unfairly favour Nigeria, citing two previous matches he officiated where Algeria suffered defeats against Mauritania.

In the case of Cameroon, following a complaint from the Moroccan Football Federation, the initially designated referee for the match against the Indomitable Lions, Egyptian Amin Omar, has been replaced. 

The Cameroonian Football Federation has yet to be informed of this significant change.