The Nation Newspaper

Tag: referees

  • AFCON 2023: Nigerian referees, lost in the shuffle

    AFCON 2023: Nigerian referees, lost in the shuffle

    • By Jubril Hammed

    Sir: Recently, Confederation of African Football, CAF, the governing body of African football released a list of 85 officials for the 2023 African Cup of Nations, 69 of these officials are listed as referees; 32 for the centre role, 33 as assistants and four as Video Assistant Referees (VAR). Surprisingly and shockingly, no Nigerian official was considered in any category whilst Sao Tome and Principe has a representative.

    Countries like Comoros, Burundi, Djibouti, Lesotho, Mauritius and Mauritania that are considered to be far behind Nigeria in football has refereeing representation in the coming tournament which will be holding early next year while the mighty Nigeria wasn’t found credible to produce any.

    Two countries of Arabian descent – Egypt and Algeria have the highest number of selected officials, three each. Morocco, Mauritania and Mauritius have two each. Officials were also selected from Ghana, Congo, Somalia, Gabon and a host of others.

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    Looking back, the last time a Nigerian referee officiated at the centre in Africa’s biggest tournament was 17 years ago; the 2006 edition.

    In the wake of this latest disappointment, there should be a critical review of this anomaly and disproportion. This is a football distress, a slap on the face of the nation’s football federation and a calamity to the referees association. Could it be poor performance, lack of credibility, lack of fitness, poor record, injustice, football politics or CAF is just acting according to type? The Nigerian Football Federation must come above board and unravel this mystery. This should be a challenge for the Ibrahim Gusau administration. 

    Our referees must come out of the woods of underachievers and should be able to officiate at regional and global tournaments. Nigeria is a football rich nation; we should be served our three squares in full.

    •Jubril Hammed, 

    A football enthusiast.

  • 2017: FIFA Adviser scores Nigerian referees high 

    2017: FIFA Adviser scores Nigerian referees high 

    Linus Mba, an Adviser to world football body FIFA on Referees, on Thursday in Abuja said Nigerian referees performed above average in all aspects of match officiating in 2017.

    Mba told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that he has also seen the determination in them to do more in 2018.

    “There is hope for Nigerian referees to compete favourably with their international colleagues in future,’’ he said.

    The FIFA Adviser, who called for improved performance, said it was time to elevate the standard of match officiating in Nigeria.

    “We hope to have referees who will officiate World Cup matches in the nearest future.

    “And that is exactly what we are working towards. We have young referees being trained for the best,” he said.

    Mba restated the imperatives of engendering expertise in the refereeing profession for unbiased match officiating

    He said Nigerian referees had been doing well in guaranteeing qualitative league competitions in the country.

    NAN reports that the Nigeria Referees Association (NRA), in collaboration with the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), had in December organised fitness training and symposia for referees for excellent match officiating.

  • Referees threaten to boycott NPFL games

    Referees threaten to boycott NPFL games

    Nigeria Referees Association (NRA) President, Tade Azeez has said they might pull out of Nigerian leagues owing to unending assaults on match officials.

    In less than a couple of days after vowing to boycott games in the Nigeria National League due to maltreatment of referees, angry fans clamped down heavily on referee Daniel Akure and his assistants after Wikki Tourists clawed back to force hosts Warri Wolves to a 1-1 draw in a Nigeria Professional League encounter on Sunday.

    Condemning this attack, the NRA boss revealed that the act will no longer be tolerated from club supporters and players .

    “The attack on referees has surprisingly continued with Sunday’s attack on the referee who handled the Warri Wolves versus Wikki Tourists game,” Azeez said in a statement released by the body.

    “The NRA has considered it necessary to boycott all matches involving any team where referees are either harassed or physically assaulted by them and their supporters.”

  • I didn’t criticise the referees – Inyama

    I didn’t criticise the referees – Inyama

    Abia Warriors   Football Club of  Umuahia Chairman, Emeka Inyama has described as mischievous and misleading, a report credited to him in one of Nigeria’s respected all-sports national tabloids, where he was quoted as saying that referees are killing the Nigerian League.

    “You can see that this story was simply fabricated to tarnish my image. That is why it is not credited to anybody and the so-called reporter who hid his name could not state when or where the interview took place. In the first place, I never granted any interview to anybody concerning officiating of the Nigerian Professional Football League. So, this is just an imagination of the writer”, Inyama clarified.

    “Even the worst critic would admit the good work the League Management Company (LMC) has done in the last couple of years. The positive changes and innovations have made the teams to be more confident that they can get good result at any venue if they played well and it is what makes the league thick”, the Abia Warriors Chairman said.

    Inyama, who disclosed that he has always been an architect of good and fair officiating, called on the various sports editors to ensure they verify sources of stories filed by their reporters before publication.

  • Akure thugs batter referees

    • Match officials taken to hospital in ODSFA chairman’s car  

    • Game abandoned in 79th min

    Unknown thugs unleashed mayhem at the Akure Township Stadium during yesterday’s Glo Premier League game between Sunshine Stars and Lobi Stars leaving the center referee and his two assistants severely battered.

    Abdulrahman Bashir had put Lobi ahead in the early minutes of the game but the drama started at half time when the visitors refused to go back to the dressing room alleging threat to their lives.

    Second half resumption was temporarily delayed as match officials tried to ensure that the atmosphere was calm and the game started eventually.

    In the early stages of the second half, Lobi Stars’ cameraman was attacked by hoodlums and his camera broken into pieces. The official was later taken out of the stadium in an ambulance.

    In the 79th minute, the game was brought to an inconclusive end when the centre refree was thoroughly hit by the hoodlums who stormed onto the pitch.

    Players of both teams as well as top management officials stayed on the pitch until the injured match officials were driven to hospital in the vehicle allegedly belonging to ODSFA chairman.

  • Lagos organises referees, judges’ training course

    The Lagos Amateur Boxing Association (LABA) has announced plans to engage it’s referees and judges in refresher courses in order to acquaint them with new developments in the sport.

    The secretary of LABA, Adejuwon Adesoye made the announcement at the bi-monthly stakeholders meeting of the association held at the Boxing Gym, Surulere, Lagos.

    He said: “We have concluded plans to have the judges and referees under our association to further improve the officiating standards in boxing. This is part of our quest to intimate our referees and judges with the rules and regulations guiding the sport while encouraging our members to develop themselves in the best ways possible.”

    “The association wants to have its referees and judges represent the country in AIBA recognised international competitions like the world championships and the Olympics.”

    “Over the years, we have seen a lot of our boxers being shortchanged in tournaments because we did not have quality representation at the technical corner,” he said.

    The course will run from  November 23 to 30  at the Teslim Balogun Stadium and is open to all referees and judges across the the country and members of the public who are interested in taking part.

  • NEW RULES: Karate coaches praise referees association

    NEW RULES: Karate coaches praise referees association

    Participants at the just-concluded Karate seminar on Friday in Lagos praised the Lagos State Karate Referees Association for organising the event aimed at unveiling the new rules in the sport.

    The theme of the seminar, the event which ran from September 30 to October 1, was tagged: Winning karate competition.

    Some of the coaches that took part in the event told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in separate interviews at the National Stadium, Lagos that the seminar was an eye-opener as the rules keep changing.

    David Omache, coach of Ejim Martial Art Club praised the organisers, saying it was a new beginning that would broaden the knowledge of the participants in the sport.

    “I want to say it is a new beginning for Karate and I give kudos to the organisers. I look at the seminar that it will help us to go back to the grassroots to raise good karatekas for the country.

    “Our performance at the recently held 11th African Games, staged in Brazzaville, Congo could have been better if we had given those at the grassroots the needed recognition, we could have performed better,” he said.

    Uchenna Udemezue, a Lagos State coach said he learnt about the latest rules released by the World Karate Federation (WKF) at the seminar.

    “I learnt that that there are three criteria to consider in an inconclusive match. Attitude and fighting spirit is one; tactics and techniques is another. Most of us did not know that it has changed. I really want to appreciate the resource persons because I have gained a lot,” he said.

    According to him, karate helps to control people’s temper.

    Obinna Ezuma, Chief instructor, Semkai Martial Art Club, Agbara also observed that the seminar brought coaches in the state together to share knowledge on the development of Karate.

    Ezuma said he would go back to his club to teach his karatekas what he had learnt, especially in scoring points.

    “I learnt that a kick to the head is now three points, kick to the midsection is two points and hand techniques are just a point. It is interesting to know that,” he said.

    NAN reports that no fewer than 25 coaches attended the seminar. Suleiman Bakare, Idowu Ayodeji and Mac Brown – all senior referees in the country also attended.

  • LMC to sanction referees for poor performance

    LMC to sanction referees for poor performance

    The League Management Company (LMC) said it has reported the referees in last Wednesday’s fixture between Shooting Stars of Ibadan and Warri Wolves to the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF).

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that LMC had, in a statement, said it had reported the three officials to the NFF Referees’ Committee.

    “They were reported to NFF for their role in the conduct of the rescheduled Match Day 7 fixture, a role which has been considered inimical to the good of the league,’’ it said.

    The statement said referee Francis Agbaegbu from Niger State Referees’ Council and the two others were asked to explain their performance in the match.

    NAN reports that the two others are Assistant Referees, Minisen Iyorhe from Benue State Referees’ Council and Garba Mesa from the Yobe State Referees’ Council.

    “They have been referred by the LMC to the Referees’ Committee of the NFA to explain their performance in the match played on Wednesday, July 8 at the Lekan Salami Stadium,’’ the statement said.

    It said further that the LMC also requested the listed officials be dropped from further officiating in Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) games.

    “This will be until further investigation of their performance in the match by the NFF Referees Committee,’’ the statement said.

    NAN recalls that the three joins the list of match officials who have been either investigated or dropped to lower leagues and or rested for the remaining games of the season.

    This was after their performances were adjudged not to be good enough for the Premier League.

    “We are determined to instill discipline and make our eferees offer their best possible quality officiating in every match even if it means having just a few who meet the standard.’’

    “We are working in sync with the NFF Referees Committee in this regard,” the LMC Chairman, Shehu Dikko, said.

  • Ex-footballers, coaches, referees pay Bazuaye last respects

    Ex-footballers, coaches, referees pay Bazuaye last respects

    THe Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium yesterday played host to the who is who in the Nigerian football family as they gathered to honour the late football coach, Willy Bazuaye, who died at the age of 79 years.

    The ceremony featured a novelty match in his honour between ex-footballers who played under him while he was the coach of New Nigeria Bank, Bendel United and other ex-footballers. It ended one goal apiece.

    There was, however, no representative from the National Sports Commission and National Coaches’ Association.

    The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) was represented by its Technical Director, Coach Amodu Shaibu who lamented the treatment that was meted out to the late Bazuaye, a man he said brought honour and glory to Nigeria at a time the country’s image was at its lowest ebb.

    While donating the sum of five hundred thousand naira (N500,000) to the family on behalf the NFF, Shaibu said the late Bazuaye made much positive impact on the lives of many players in Nigeria, and deserved much more than what he saw at the stadium.

    On the part of the Edo State Government, the Commissioner for Sports, Comrade Presley Ediagbonya said Bazuaye was a worthy son of the state and would be honoured by the government at an appropriate time .

    While apologising to the deceased’s family for the inability of Governor Adams Oshiomhole to attend the lying-in-state at the stadium, Ediagbonya said the governor had arranged a package for the family that will be presented by Oshiomhole himself.

  • Referees’ fitness level excites NRA President

    The President of the Nigeria Referee’s  Association (NRA) Azeez Tade is excited about the fitness level of Nigerian Referees who excelled in the FIFA fitness test conducted at the main bowl of the Abuja National Stadium last week. Commenting while the referees converged for the test in Abuja, the NRA boss said: “This is the first quarterly fitness test for FIFA referees. We have this fitness test four times in a year.

    “The programme is not from the Nigeria Referee’s Association but from world football governing body FIFA. The result of this test will go to FIFA.”

    He expressed satisfaction with the test conducted so far. “I am impressed with what I have seen so far from this exercise. I am impressed in terms of the fitness level of our referees, in terms of the fact that they can be called upon at any time and they will perform well and won’t disappoint unlike what we had before, doing extra training for them to pass.

    “Now they know it is quarterly and if they are aware of the fact that the exercise is quarterly then at all times they must be prepared like the Boys Scout”, the NRA boss disclosed.

    “This will afford FIFA to know the fitness level of our (Nigerian) referees and it is even part of the condition for the release of next year’s badges. So, it’s like they are defending their badge. Instead of defending it once, they now do it four times every year. So that is why we are here conducting this fitness test.

    “The exercise is usually conducted by the Referees’ Committee of the Nigeria Football Federation in conjunction with the local referee association. Their personnel were accredited by FIFA to carry on the exercises.

    “Their signatures are very vital to what we do here. Without their signatures, FIFA will not accept the result of these tests. So, FIFA is represented here,” the new NRA president, who took over from erstwhile boss Ahmed Maude, disclosed.