CAF contact confirms referee change for Nigeria World Cup playoff
An exchange, a few minutes ago, between me and an informed contact in the @CAF_Online system, regarding the appointment of #FIFAWorldCup #Africa playoff referees:
Contact: [South African referee] Tom [Abongile] will not officiate Nigeria vs Gabon and will be replaced soon.… pic.twitter.com/Xxl6BMv6Re
— Osasu Obayiuwana (@osasuo) November 7, 2025
An exchange, a few minutes ago, between me and an informed contact in the @CAF_Online system, regarding the appointment of #FIFAWorldCup #Africa playoff referees:
Contact: [South African referee] Tom [Abongile] will not officiate Nigeria vs Gabon and will be replaced soon.
Me: Really? Who told you this? And who will replace him?
Contact: I don’t know the replacement but it was [a] very controversial decision to appoint him [for] this game… There has been a lot of pressure from all corners… [For the Nigeria v Gabon] match, it was allocated to a referee from @COSAFAMEDIA and the Cameroon vs Congo game to a referee from @Cecafaonline, with the final match being allocated to a referee from North Africa. That was [the] initial plan… Instead of giving the matches to the best referees in the continent, referees were appointed on a regional basis. This is wrong and responsible for the current situation.
Hmmm… Let’s watch and see, if this is really true.