Nigeria’s Qassim Abdulsallam has been selected by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) as one of the centre referees expected to officiate in the 2024 African Nations Championship (CHAN).
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that CHAN is a biennial continental tournament meant solely for African players plying their trade in their countries’ various local national leagues.
Abdulsalam was the only Nigerian referee listed on the 65-man roster of officials released by CAF on its website yesterday – Friday, January 3.
The tournament, the eighth in the series, is scheduled to be held in three countries: Tanzania, Uganda and Kenya, from Feb. 1 to Feb. 28.
This will be the first edition to be co-hosted by three different countries.
According to the statement on the CAF official website, Abdulsalam will join 25 other centre referees officiating in the championship.
The list also has 25 assistant referees and 14 Video Assistant Referees (VAR) officials for the tournament.
Abdulsalam distinguished himself in the second leg of the CHAN qualifier between Niger and Cote d’Ivoire at the Bamako Stade, 26 Mars on Saturday.
The Zamfara State Referees’ Council member was among the referees who went to the CHAN course preparations exercise in Cairo late last year (2024).
Abdulsalam was also on the list of match officials invited for the WAFU U-20 qualifiers held earlier in Togo.
The Super Eagles B team qualified for the 2024 CHAN
Interestingly, this latest feat is coming six years after the Super Eagles last appeared at the biennial continental tournament.
Nigeria thrashed Ghana 3-1 in a second-leg final qualifying fixture at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium in Uyo on Saturday, after playing out a goalless draw in the first leg in Ghana a week earlier, to book a berth to the eighth edition of the championship.
