The Federation of International Football Association(FIFA) on Thursday revealed the comprehensive list of Referees for the 104 games of the 2026 World Cup with no Nigerian on the schedule.
52 Centre Referees, 88 assistant Referees and 30 video match officials were unveiled for the tournament which begins this summer across the North American countries of United States, Canada and Mexico.
The absence of Nigeria referees at global events has continued to be a source of worry for football stakeholders who expected at least a representative from the country going by their famed football prowess.
Among those who made the cut after the stringent conditions was Atcho Pierre, a 33 year-old Gabonese who is among the 52 centre referees confirmed for the football fiesta.
According to a statement from FIFA, “The FIFA Team One cohort includes 52 referees, 88 assistant referees and 30 video match officials, who hail from all six confederations and 50 Member Associations, in what is the most comprehensive line-up of match officials in FIFA World Cup™ history. The appointments were made on the basis of FIFA’s long-standing “quality first” principle, while consideration was given to the consistency of the performances delivered by candidates at FIFA tournaments, as well as in international and domestic competitions in recent years.”
Pierluigi Collina, FIFA’s Chief Refereeing Officer and chairman of the FIFA Referees Committee, said: “The selected match officials are the very best in the world. They were part of a wider pool of officials that was identified and monitored over the past three years. They have attended seminars and officiated at FIFA tournaments. In addition, their performances in domestic and international matches were regularly assessed. The selected officials have received, and will continue to receive, comprehensive support from our fitness coaches and medical staff, including physiotherapists and a mental specialist. Our goal is to ensure that they’re in optimal physical and mental condition when they arrive in Miami on 31 May.”
It is left to been seen when arbiters from the country would be able to stake their claims at the world stage and prove their mettle at the international level.
But keen observers believe that charity must begin from home as Nigerian referees have not been able to cover themselves in glory going by their performance in the leagues while some have called for the introduction of communication aids to ease their job while on duty.
