A NIGERIAN referee, Abiola Kasimu Abdulsalam, has been selected as one of 81 officials for this year’s FIFA Under-17 World Cup tournament scheduled to take place in Qatar.
The 34-year-old official is the only centre referee from Nigeria and one of four from Africa to make the list, which also includes eight assistant referees from the continent.
News Point Nigeria Sport reports that Abdulsalam’s selection makes him only the second Nigerian to be appointed as a centre referee in the history of the FIFA Under-17 World Cup, ending a 25-year wait for Nigeria.
The Zamfara-born official has built a reputation on the continent, having handled matches at two CAF Under-17 Africa Cup of Nations tournaments as well as regional WAFU matches.
He has also been selected as the man in the middle for the upcoming AFCON 2027 qualifier between Cameroon and Comoros.
Chairman of the FIFA Referees Committee, Pierluigi Collina, stated that the selected officials are among the most promising FIFA officials available.
He added that the officials were expected to take charge of senior international matches in the future.
“They have been selected not only for their performances, but also for their ability to work as part of an international team and meet the demands of a major FIFA tournament.”
“The 2025 edition of this tournament demonstrated the value of giving talented match officials the opportunity to develop in a demanding international environment.
“This year’s officials have been selected with the same long-term objective; to prepare the next generation to perform at the highest level of the game.”
The selection of Abdulsalam, who was the only Nigerian referee selected to officiate at the 2025 CHAN tournament, bucks the trend of the absence of Nigerian officials from major FIFA tournaments.
Abdulsalam received his FIFA badge as an international referee in 2022 and has continued to retain the badge following annual evaluations.
