FIFA picks Somali referee and Kenyan assistant for U-20 World Cup duty

Somalia’s Omar Abdulkadir Artan and Kenya’s Gilbert Cheruiyot have been selected among 54 match officials for the 2025 FIFA U-20 World Cup, scheduled to take place in Chile from 27 September to 19 October.

The two East Africans are part of a nine-member contingent from Africa that includes three referees and six assistant referees. Artan is one of the referees selected, while Cheruiyot will serve as an assistant referee.

The full list of African referees also features Algeria’s Youcef Gamaouh and Morocco’s Jalal Jayed. The assistant referees include Abelmiro Montenegro (São Tomé and Príncipe), Khalil Hassani (Tunisia), Eric Ayimavo (Benin), and Moroccans Lahsen Azgaou and Mostafa Akarkad.

A total of 18 referees and 36 assistant referees from around the world will oversee the tournament, with FIFA set to continue testing the Football Video Support (FVS) system, previously trialled at youth competitions in Colombia and the Dominican Republic.

“We look forward to another exciting tournament,” said FIFA Referees Committee Chairman Pierluigi Collina. “Once again, we’ve appointed a very strong Team One line-up.”

Africa will also be represented in the competition by four teams: South Africa, Morocco, Nigeria and Egypt.

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