The Confederation of African Football has appointed Senegalese referee Issa Sy to take charge of Saturday’s Africa Cup of Nations quarter-final encounter between Nigeria and Algeria in Marrakech.
The announcement comes after CAF withdrew its initial appointment of Omar Artan amid growing tensions surrounding officiating decisions at the ongoing tournament.
Sy, who is no stranger to the 2025 AFCON, previously served as Video Assistant Referee during the group-stage clash between Morocco and Tanzania.
The last-minute change in officiating personnel is expected to calm nerves ahead of the keenly anticipated quarter-final tie, as both West and North African giants seek a place in the semi-finals.
Nigeria’s Super Eagles stormed into the last eight with an emphatic 4-0 demolition of Mozambique, delivering one of the most convincing performances of the knockout rounds.
Algeria, meanwhile, edged DR Congo 1-0 in a tense extra-time encounter to set up the mouth-watering clash with the three-time African champions.
Saturday’s showdown will be a repeat of the 2019 AFCON semi-final in Cairo, where Algeria emerged victorious with a 2-1 win courtesy of a late free-kick from Manchester City’s Riyad Mahrez.
The victory propelled the Desert Foxes to their second continental title, while Nigeria exited the tournament with bronze after defeating Tunisia in the third-place match.
Both sides will be eager to rewrite history when they meet at the Stade de Marrakech, with a semi-final berth at stake.
The encounter is scheduled to kick off at 5pm Nigerian time.