Khaberni - The Confederation of African Football "CAF" unexpectedly decided to exclude Somali referee Omar Artan from officiating the quarter-final match of the Africa Cup of Nations 2025 between Algeria and Nigeria, and imposed a disciplinary punishment on him.
According to "foot-africa", this decision was taken by the CAF Referees Committee after it was revealed that the Somali referee wore unapproved branded sports shoes during the tournament.
Referee Artan was assigned to the Mali vs Zambia match in the group stage, during which he appeared in shoes whose brand did not match the brand approved by the official sponsor of the African tournament.
CAF considered this act a severe breach of the contractual obligations with the tournament's official sponsors, necessitating immediate action to protect the commercial rights of the federation's partners.
CAF has not yet issued an official statement clarifying the circumstances of the decision, but it has appointed Senegalese referee Issa Sy to lead the match, which was held this evening, Saturday, ending with Nigeria defeating Algeria two goals to none.
