Africa's top referee suspended for a trivial reason

Africa's leading referee was suspended by AFCON due to a surprising cause, entirely outside of sporting issues.

Just hours before the AFCON quarterfinal match between Nigeria and Algeria, the Federation African football (CAF) unexpectedly withdrew Omar Abdulkadir Artan – who was honored as Africa's Best Referee in 2025 – from the officiating list, causing a major shock to the tournament.

According to Daily Post, the reason was that Artan was found to have worn shoes from a brand not approved by the tournament’s official sponsor during a previous match. Consequently, CAF decided to immediately suspend the Somali referee, although no official statement has been released yet.

The Nigeria vs. Algeria game, regarded as a highlight of the quarterfinals, took place at the Grand Stade de Marrakech (Morocco) on January 10. Both teams feature numerous stars playing in Europe: Algeria with Rayan Ait-Nouri and Riyad Mahrez, and Nigeria with notable players like Ademola Lookman, Alex Iwobi, and Victor Osimhen. Given the match's importance, the last-minute referee change stirred considerable public attention.

CAF is expected to appoint a replacement referee at the last minute to ensure the match proceeds as scheduled.

Moreover, AFCON became even more heated due to a referee-related issue in another quarterfinal match. L’Equipe reported that Egyptian referee Amin Omar, originally assigned to officiate Morocco vs. Cameroon, was also removed and replaced by Dahane Beida (Mauritania) following protests from the Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF), amid a power struggle among involved parties.

After the quarterfinals, the two semifinals will be held on January 14, the third-place playoff on January 17, and the final set for January 18. Egypt currently holds the record for the most AFCON titles with seven championships, followed by Cameroon (5) and Ghana (4).