No Nigerian Referees was shortlisted in the under 23 African Cup of Nations

Nigerian referees, despite recent
improvements, have once again been ignored for a
major competition by the Confederation of African
Football (CAF).
According to a list of referees and assistant referees
released by CAF on Monday, no Nigerian referee or
assistant referee was deemed good enough to make
the final list of match officials for the forthcoming
CAF U23 Africa Cup of Nations in Senegal.
There have been marked improvements in the level of
refereeing in the Nigerian league, with more teams
winning games away from home, unlike the situation
in the past. The improvements have seen some
Nigerian referees selected for the 2018 FIFA World
Cup qualifiers, but the latest development has come
as a shock.

Ferdinand Aniete Udoh has been the golden boy of
Nigerian referees recently, and has been selected to
officiate some of the 2018 World Cup qualifiers, but it
is surprising he hasn't made the list to Senegal.
CAF announced 10 referees and 13 assistant referees
for the tournament, which serves as Africa's
qualifiers for the Olympic Games, with the top three
teams automatically qualifying to the Rio 2016
Olympic Games. The fourth best team will however
go into a play off to determine if they go through to
the games.