Zurich, Switzerland – The FIFA Referees Committee has
released the list of match officials for the upcoming 2025 FIFA U-20 World Cup
in Chile, and notably, no Nigerian referees have been included among the 54
officials appointed to officiate the tournament.
Set to run from 27th September to 19th October, the
tournament will feature 18 referees and 36 assistant referees from 22 FIFA
Member Associations, reinforcing FIFA’s commitment to global representation.
However, the absence of any Nigerian match official has raised concerns and
renewed scrutiny over Nigeria’s standing in international refereeing circles.
“Following the success of the FIFA Club World Cup, we
look forward to another exciting tournament, for which we have once again
appointed a very strong Team One line-up,” said Pierluigi Collina, Chairman of
the FIFA Referees Committee. “From a refereeing perspective, it’s crucial that
the officials have the opportunity to be involved in a tournament featuring the
stars of tomorrow.”
This year’s edition will also serve as a platform for
further testing of the Football Video Support (FVS) system—a streamlined,
cost-effective alternative to the traditional Video Assistant Referee (VAR)
technology. Unlike VAR, FVS does not include dedicated video officials.
Instead, coaches are allowed a limited number of review challenges per match to
contest potentially clear and obvious errors in key decisions such as goals,
penalties, red cards, and mistaken identity. Players can also advise coaches when
to request a review.
The FVS system has previously undergone testing at the
FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Colombia and the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in
the Dominican Republic, earning positive feedback as a scalable and affordable
tool for officiating support.
“Chile is a football-loving nation, and we have an
excellent opportunity to ensure that this year’s edition of the FIFA U-20 World
Cup leaves a refereeing legacy,” said Massimo Busacca, FIFA’s Director of
Refereeing. “The tournament is highly competitive and demands officials with a
deep understanding of the game.”
While the global football community anticipates an
exciting tournament both on and off the pitch, Nigeria’s exclusion from the
refereeing list has stirred debate locally. Analysts have called for greater
investment in training, exposure, and international certification of Nigerian
referees to improve their chances of future selection on the world stage.
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