The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has appointed Senegalese official Issa Sy as the referee for Saturday’s Africa Cup of Nations quarter-final match between Nigeria and Algeria in Marrakech.
Prior hitherto, Omar Artan was appointed by CAF, but the decision was reversed due to concerns about refereeing controversies at the tournament.
Sy is already familiar with the 2025 AFCON, having worked as the Video Assistant Referee during the group stage.
His selection is viewed as an effort to reduce tensions ahead of the key match, with both Nigeria and Algeria vying for a place in the semi-finals.
Nigeria advanced to the quarterfinals with a 4-0 win against Mozambique, while Algeria defeated DR Congo 1-0 in extra time.
Saturday’s encounter is a rematch of the 2019 AFCON semi-final, which Algeria won 2-1 thanks to a spectacular late free kick by Riyad Mahrez.
Kickoff is set for 5 p.m. Nigerian time.
