The Confederation of African Football has named Senegalese referee Issa Sy to take charge of Saturday’s Africa Cup of Nations quarter-final clash between Nigeria and Algeria in Marrakech.
CAF had earlier appointed Omar Artan for the match but later withdrew the decision amid rising concerns over officiating at the tournament.
Sy is familiar with the 2025 AFCON, having worked as the Video Assistant Referee during the group-stage encounter between Morocco and Tanzania.
The new appointment is expected to ease tensions ahead of the high-stakes tie, with both Nigeria and Algeria competing for a place in the semi-finals. The Super Eagles reached the last eight with a convincing 4–0 win over Mozambique, while Algeria edged past DR Congo 1–0 after extra time.
Saturday’s fixture will be a repeat of the 2019 AFCON semi-final, which Algeria won 2–1 thanks to a late free-kick from Riyad Mahrez.
Kick-off is scheduled for 5pm Nigerian time.
