The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has officially filed a protest with FIFA over the appointment of referees from South Africa and Benin to oversee its upcoming 2026 World Cup qualifying playoff against Gabon national football team.
The first leg of the tie is set to take place next Thursday at Prince Héritier Moulay El Hassan Stadium in Rabat, Morocco, with the winner advancing further in the qualification process.
In its letter, the NFF argues that the selection of officials from South Africa and Benin — both of whom were part of Nigeria’s qualifying group — represents a “clear conflict of interest” and undermines the principle of impartiality required in international officiating.
The match-official list issued by FIFA’s Head of Qualifiers and International Matches, Gordon Savic, identifies South Africa’s Abongile Tom as centre referee, backed by compatriots Zakhele Thusi Granville Siwela as Assistant Referee 2 and Akhona Zennith Makalima as VAR lead. From Benin, Hugues Alain Djovi has been named Referee Assessor.
The NFF’s protest emphasises that “neutrality is a fundamental principle” and warns that the current appointments may jeopardise the integrity of the fixture, or at least give rise to perceptions of bias.
FIFA has yet to issue a formal response to the protest. Meanwhile, the NFF is reportedly seeking the replacement of all South African and Beninese officials ahead of the match.
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