OFFICIATING football games worldwide have always raised contempt from soccer buffs because of the diverse and personal interests usually associated with the game.
Some uninformed Nigeria soccer buffs are given to desperately maligning the towering efforts of Nigerian football referees toward improving the standard of officiating in football in the country. The popular noise around is that Nigerian referees have never been invited for international matches by CAF or FIFA.
However, records show that Peter Edibe, a Nigerian officiated creditably in the 2013 CAF Confederations Cup Final, and he was also one of the Assistant Referees in the AFCON 2015 semifinal matches between Ghana and Senegal, hosted by Equatorial Guinea. In 2017, Abel Baba was amongst the Assistant Referees at the 2017 AFCON, Ferdinard Udoh, and whole lot of others officiated international matches.
In 2021, Patience Madu was at the Olympic Games to officiate as a Nigeria Referee. Yemisi Akintoye was in charge of some CAF women’s Champions League matches last year. The likes of Ogabor Joesph, Quadri Adebimpe, Abdulmajeed Usman, and others have gone out and others are still going out for international matches.
That no Nigerian referee was at the just concluded AFCON in Ivory Coast was a talking point to some Nigerians who are ignorant of the processes or what it takes for CAF or FIFA to invite referee(s) in their tournaments.
Gladly enough, the President of Nigeria Football Federation, Alhaji Ibrahim Gusau has promised that the federation will introduce the use of necessary modern officiating gadgets that is in vogue for officiating in Nigeria football league, which will aid Nigerian referees to compete favourably in the continent and beyond.
Desperate club or teams’ fanatical supporters that want their teams to win at all cost would certainly see the best of the whistlemen. It is baffling to note that Jelili Ogunmuyiwa, a Nigerian FIFA badged Referee is presently in UAE, officiating at the 6th Beach Soccer World Cup tournament without Nigerians noticing it. He officiated the opening match of the championship and he is one of the most respected FIFA referees when it comes to Beach Soccer in the continent of Africa.
Back to Nigeria’s domestic football league. At the end of the first stanza of 2023/2024 NPFL league, referees were scored 85% by the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of the league, Chief Davidson Owumi. This is an excellent grade for performance by all standard.
With the mission statement of the Nigeria Football Referees Association (NRA) under the leadership of Hon Alhaji Sani Zubairu (FIFA Referee Rtd) to recruit, train, nurture, grade and assess football Referees in Nigeria using the culture of best practices applicable to both national and international standards of interpreting the Laws of game of football, for purposes of producing world class football referees, Nigeria is on the verge of having one of the best crop of referees in Africa.
Suffice it to say that presently, thirty (30) Nigerian Referees made up of seven (7) male Referees, seven (7) male Assistant Referees, four (4) female Referees, four (4) female Assistant Referees, four (4) Beach soccer Referees and four (4) FUTSAL Referees are listed and decorated with FIFA badge as international referees. Nigeria ranks high in the continent of Africa.
Nigeria Football Referees’ Association, NRA, therefore calls on Nigeria Football club managers, players, enthusiasts and other stakeholder in the round leather game to support the ethics and professionalism in officiating which the Nigeria referees are passionate about and committed to adhering to.
Ejimofor is the National Publicity Secretary, Nigeria (Football) Referees’ Association (NRA).
