Referees In Fitness Test Ahead New Season

No fewer than 600 referees are participating in the 2012/2013 fitness test at the National Stadium, Abuja, earlier in the week.

The President, Nigerian Referees Association (NRA), Ahmed Maude, who disclosed this to newsmen in Abuja, said the referees were drawn from the six geo-political zones.

Maude said the five-day event, which started on Tuesday, was meant to test the level of fitness of the referees “who will officiate in the 2012/2013 football season’’.

“This fitness test is for referees who will officiate in the 2012/2013 season of the Nigeria Premier League (NPL) and the Nigeria National League (NNL).

“We decided to categorise the referees under six geo-political zones and we are expecting a total of 600 to be tested from the six zones.

“The test started with the South-West zone, with a total of 152 referees.

“Those who will officiate in the Nigeria Nationwide League (NNWL) will be tested at their various zones,’’ he said.

Maude said the fitness test was aimed at finding out the health status of the referees when the season starts.

“The test is to know the level of their fitness so that we will know if they will be able to cope when the season starts.

“Any referee that did not pass the test will not be allowed to officiate in the coming season,” he said.

The 2012/2013 fitness test will end on Sunday.