Former NFF President, General Dominic Obukadata Oneya (rtd) and incumbent NFF General Secretary, Dr. Mohammed Sanusi are the Nigerian officials on duty as this year’s CAF Champions League and CAF Confederation Cup competitions begin this weekend.
Sanusi will be match commissioner for the CAF Confederation Cup first round, first leg match between Bechem United of Ghana and Mouloudia Club D’Alger of Algeria, scheduled for the Baba Yara Stadium, Kumasi on Sunday, 12th February 2017.
Oneya, who presided over the affairs of Nigerian Football between January 2000 – October 2002, will serve as match commissioner for the CAF Champions League clash between FC Johansen of Sierra Leone and Fath Union Sport (FUS) of Morocco, taking place in Freetown on Saturday.
Nigerian referees are not in action this weekend, but two sets have been designated to handle first round, second leg matches coming up next weekend. Quadri Adebimpe, who got plaudits for his handling of the men’s final of last year’s Federation Cup competition, will lead Samuel Pwadutakam, Isah Usman and Abubakar Ago for the Champions League tie between AS FAN of Niger Republic and AS de Tanda of Cote d’Ivoire in Niamey.
Abdullahi Shuaibu will be at the head of the second team that includes Efosa Igudia, Tejiri Digbori and Benjamin Odey, who will officiate the Confederation Cup match between Racing de Micomiseng of Equatorial Guinea and Etoile du Congo in Malabo.
Meanwhile, three of Nigeria’s representative teams are also on the road with Enugu Rangers already in Algeria, Rivers United arriving in Bamako, Mali on Thursday afternoon and Wikki Tourists set to land in Freetown, Sierra Leone on Saturday morning.
NPFL champions Rangers will take on JS Saoura of Algeria on Friday, while Rivers United will confront AS Real de Bamako on Saturday, in the CAF Champions League.
In the CAF Confederation Cup, Wikki Tourists will tackle Royal Armed Forces of Sierra Leone on Sunday, and FC IfeanyiUbah (the only team playing at home) will battle Al Masry of Egypt at the Ifeanyi Ubah International Stadium, Nnewi on Sunday.