NRA Boss Praises League Referees

President of the Nigeria
Referees Association (NRA), Ahmed Maude, has commended the association’s members on their improved performance in the ongoing 2013/2014 football season.
Maude told newsmen in   Abuja that there had  been widespread praises for the referees in the various tiers of Nigerian football league.
He said the referees had before now been under much criticism for various forms of irregularities when officiating matches.
“But, after so many years, our referees have performed remarkably well this season, considering the number of surprising results we have had in the various leagues.
“Many of the big clubs have fallen at home, especially in the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL).
“For example, renowned Enyimba International FC of Aba were held to a 0-0 draw at home by relatively little-known Giwa FC of Jos in their Week 18 match.
“Hosts Sharks FC, who were on top of the league table, were beaten 3-1 by Nasarawa United in Port Harcourt.
“So, officiating this season has been commendable, compared to what we used to have when our referees were criticised throughout the season,’’ the NRA president said.
He however expressed optimism that Nigerian referees could perform better if provided with the enabling environment.
Maude said the improved performance of referees in the Nigeria National League (NNL) was a result of the increase in their remuneration before the start of the season.
“The referees in the NNL have also performed well and I think the reason for their improved performance was because their remuneration was improved upon just before the start of the season.
“And this has reflected in how they work now, because we now record a low number of protests from match venues as a result of referees’ officiating,’’ the NRA president said.
Maude, however, said the NRA was not resting on its oars in making Nigerian referees better than they were and become a force to reckon with on the global stage.
“We are not resting now, even as our referees have improved. This is because we believe we still have a long way to go.
“So, we want to carry out a mid-season fitness test for the referees, apart from the fitness test we do before the start of the season.
“However, we have had to reconsider it because of the Ramadan fast which is coming up.
“But now, we are thinking of getting communication gadgets for them to ease communication between them when carrying out their duties,’’ he said.