SA Referees Appointed For Top AFCON Semifinal Match

South African match officials Abongile Tom and Zakhele Siwela have received a prestigious appointment to serve in the highly anticipated 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) semifinal match between Nigeria and host nation Morocco.

The match is scheduled to take place on Wednesday at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat, kick-starting at 22:00.

The 2018/19 referee of the season, Tom, who will be serving as the Video Assistant Referee (VAR), will be assisted by Haythem Guirat of Tunisia and Stephen Onyango of Kenya, while Ethiopian referee Lidya Abebe will be the referee assessor.

Siwela, on the other hand, will take on the role of first assistant referee, working alongside Lesothan match official Souru Phatsoane, who will be the second assistant referee.

Ghanaian top referee Daniel Laryea will be the main man in charge, officiating the match with Siwela by his side.

This appointment is a testament to the reputation and expertise of South African referees, who have consistently demonstrated their ability to handle high-pressure matches.

The match promises to be an intense and closely contested affair, with both Nigeria and Morocco being highly ranked and considered strong contenders for the AFCON title.

As the host nation, Morocco will be looking to capitalize on their home advantage, while Nigeria will be motivated by its runner-up finish in the 2023 edition, where it lost to the Ivory Coast in the final.

The Super Eagles will be determined to go one step further this time around and bring the trophy home.

The other semi-final will be contested by Senegal and Egypt, also on Wednesday.