WORLD football governing body, FIFA, has made changes to the officiating team of the 2026 World Cup qualifying match between Benin Republic and Nigeria which is scheduled for the Stade Felix Houphouet-Boigny in Ivory Coast on Monday, June 10.
The changes have sent packing Ethiopian official Bamlak Tessema Weyesa, who was originally designated as referee for the encounter scheduled to kick off at 4pm. In his place, Gabonese official Pierre Ghislain Atcho will now be the referee.
Weyesa’s compatriots Temesgin Samuel Atango and Tigle Gizaw Belachew have been retained as assistant referee 1 and assistant referee 2 respectively.
However, another Ethiopian, Tewodros Mitiku, earlier designated as the fourth official, has been thrown out, replaced by Cameroonian Antoine Max Effa Essouma.
The originally designated referee assessor, match commissioner and security officer retain their places in the encounter that comes up only three days after the Super Eagles, Bafana Bafana clash at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium, Uyo.
Meanwhile, newly appointed Super Eagles Coach, Finidi George, has described Nigeria’s upcoming World Cup qualifiers as must-win games.
The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) unveiled the former Ajax winger as the man to replace Jose Peseiro as the coach of Nigeria a few weeks back and he has cued in preparations for the upcoming games right away.
The Super Eagles were drawn into CAF Qualification Group C alongside Rwanda, Lesotho, Benin Republic, South Africa and Zimbabwe.
In their first two games, the three-time AFCON winners drew to Rwanda and Lesotho, claiming two points from two games, and are in desperate need of a win to stand a firm ground en route to a place at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Nigeria will face Benin Republic and South Africa in June, and the former Real Betis winger, aware of the task at hand, revealed they need all six points from both games.
