NPFL: Ex-Referees Rate Officiating High

Former Nigerian Referees
on Thursday rated referees officiating in the ongoing leagues high and called for measures that would enable them to perform better.
Some of them told newsmen in separate interviews that officiating in the different leagues had taken a new shape compared to what was obtainable before.
Ameenu Mohammed said that in spite of the things that worked against referees in the country, they had performed creditably.
“Nigerian referees have performed well as far as the first round of the leagues is concerned though we still have this win-at-all-cost syndrome which results in referees being ambushed.
“They are threatened and subjected to a lot of the unthinkable, but in spite of all these they have tried as much as possible to put in their best.
“Now, there are fewer complaints as regards officiating in Nigerian leagues; but we have not arrived yet because things continue to change and we have to adapt as soon as possible.
“Referees have to re-examine their level of fitness so that they can do what they are expected to do on the pitch,’’ he said.

Mohammed added that for referees to perform better than they were doing presently, their welfare must be improved upon.
“Apart from security threats, referees’ welfare is not made paramount, they are not well-paid.
“But thank God the Nigeria National League (NNL) has improved on what they pay our referees, but the fact still remains that our referees are poorly paid.
“But in spite of all these, they have improved in terms of their performance, but there is still room for improvement if they are provided a more conducive environment to perform,’’ he said.
Another former referee, Zubairu Sani, who is a Consultant Referee to the Nigeria Football Association (NFA), commended the referees judging them by the high number of away wins and draws.
“I cannot particularly rate the referees because I am one of them, it is for the spectators that watch the matches to judge them if they have been doing a good job or not.
“But I noticed that there are more away wins and away draws week-in-week-out, which have not been frequent in the previous years.
“So, with that, I can say that our referees have improved but they are still learning,’’ Sani said.
Another former referee, Ibrahim Aliu, who is now a member of NFA’s Referees Committee, said refereeing in Nigeria was taking a new face.
According to him, the referees have thrived in spite of challenges that are too much for them to cope with.
“Nigerian referees have performed excellently, in spite of threats they put all their best into practise so as to come out with a good result.
“There are so many factors affecting their performance but Nigerian referees try their best, there is no adequate security and the environment is not as conducive as it should be.
“Also, it is not nice to travel long distances by road for both the referee and the players as there are chances of cramps which make them uncomfortable.