Sanni Zubair, the President of the Nigeria Referees Association (NRA), has reaffirmed the association’s commitment to eradicating below-par performance by referees in the country’s domestic leagues. Addressing concerns over persistent cases of poor officiating by match officials, Zubair stated this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos.
With the 2023-2024 Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) season already ten weeks underway, complaints about substandard officiating have reached alarming levels. Week in and week out, the beautiful game of football is being jeopardized by contentious refereeing decisions, causing disagreements and discontent among players and fans alike.
“While players possess tremendous influence on the outcome of a match, it is the referee who wields the ultimate power to shape its course,” Zubair emphasized. “We have implemented various measures to serve as deterrents. Irrespective of one’s standing or connections, any referee found to have deliberately erred will face the full consequences according to the established principles governing officiating.”
He further added, “Our recent actions in punishing several match officials clearly demonstrate our resolve. We are serious about our mission to weed out incompetent referees and restore players’ confidence in receiving 100 percent fair officiating.”
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It should be noted that on November 6, the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) suspended 14 referees from officiating in the ongoing NPFL season due to their below-par performances.
The suspended referees include Bawa Buhari, Chukwuka Jahlove, Akinwale Tomiwa, Saeed Abdulaziz, Jimmy Aimugbonrie, Brown Ebenezer, Atuwho Morrison, Imamu Maliki, Sunday Azi, as well as the four match officials involved in the Matchday Six fixture between Sunshine Stars and Abia Warriors.
Furthermore, video footage of the Matchday Five clash between Gombe United and Plateau United, as well as the week seven encounter between Bendel Insurance and Remo Stars in Benin, was reviewed. Of particular concern was the controversy surrounding the disallowed goal scored by a Remo Stars player, which was viewed as a potential goal of the season.
The Nigeria Referees Association’s unwavering stance against poor officiating sends a clear message that their priority lies in upholding the integrity and fairness of the sport.
