African football governing body, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) has appointed Ghanaian referee, Daniel Nii Ayi Laryea to take charge of the high-profile Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) 2025 encounter between Nigeria and host country, Morocco, which will take place on Wednesday, January 14, 2026, at the Prince Moulay Abdallah Stadium in Rabat. Kick-off is scheduled for 8:00 p.m. GMT, reports thegazellenews.com.
Laryea, one of Africa’s most experienced and respected referees, will be supported by a diverse team of officials drawn from across the continent, reflecting CAF’s commitment to neutrality and officiating balance in major fixtures.
South Africa’s Zakhele Thusi Granville Siwela has been named Assistant Referee 1, while Souru Phatsoane of Lesotho will serve as Assistant Referee 2. Arsenio Chadreque Maringule of Mozambique completes the line-up as Assistant Referee 3.
The role of Fourth Official has been assigned to Samuel Uwikunda of Rwanda, who will oversee technical area conduct and substitutions during the match.
The African football governing body also appointed a strong Video Assistant Referee (VAR) team for the fixture. Abongile Tom of South Africa will operate as the main VAR, with Haythem Guirat of Tunisia serving as Assistant VAR 1 while Stephen Onyango Yiembe of Kenya was named Assistant VAR 2.
In addition, Lidya Tafesse Abebe of Ethiopia, a highly respected former referee, will act as the Referee Assessor for the match.
