Chadian Referee To Officiate Bafana Vs Nigeria
Chadian official Alhadi Allaou Mahamat will referee the crucial 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier between Bafana Bafana and Nigeria next month.
The much-anticipated clash will take place on Friday, 7 June (21:00) at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium in Uyo, Nigeria.
Four days later Bafana, who will hope to beat the Super Eagles for the second time in Nigeria, will host Zimbabwe at Toyota Stadium in Bloemfontein.
This fixture marks a rematch of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations semifinal in Ivory Coast, where Nigeria emerged victorious on penalties. However, Bafana Bafana hold fond memories of this venue, having secured a 2-0 win over the Super Eagles in the 2019 AFCON qualifiers with goals from Tokelo Rantie and Percy Tau.
Mahamat brings a wealth of experience to the match. He previously officiated Mamelodi Sundowns’ victory against Pyramids in the CAF Champions League group stages in December and served as the fourth official for Bafana Bafana’s final AFCON group stage clash against Tunisia.
The match between Bafana match against Nigeria will be a repeat of the semifinal of the AFCON in Ivory Coast where Hugo Broos’ side was defeated on penalty shootouts.
However, Bafana will have good memories of playing at the Uyo stadium as they beat Nigeria 2-0 in the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers where Tokelo Rantie and Percy Tau were the scorers in what Stuart Baxter’s first game in charge on 10 June 2017.
Bafana, despite starting the group with a win, finished second behind Nigeria in Group E.
Rantie also scored twice in the 2-2 draw at the same stadium in November 2014 which saw Nigeria fail to qualify for the AFCON in 2015 despite being the defending champions having won the tournament in South Africa in 2013.