NEWS DIGEST– 14 Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) referees have been given a preliminary suspension by the Referees’ Development Committee of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) due to poor officiating.
The suspension was announced in a letter sent to Davidson Owumi, the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of the NPFL, by Faith Irabor, the head of the NFF’s Referees’ Development Committee/Unit. The referees were suspended following their perceived poor performances in seven NPFL matches. The affected matches and officials were listed in the letter.
The letter stated that the referees and assistant referees involved in these matches would be suspended while the committee evaluates their decisions. The committee will determine whether the decisions made by these officials were right or wrong. It also requested the full videos of the matches to properly evaluate the performance of the officials.
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However, the matches specified in the letter included Niger Tornadoes vs Rivers United (Matchday 2), Niger Tornadoes vs Bayelsa United (Matchday 4), Sporting Lagos vs Niger Tornadoes (Matchday 5), Gombe United vs Plateau United (Matchday 5), Kwara United vs Sporting Lagos (Matchday 6), and Sunshine Stars vs Abia Warriors (Matchday 6).
Others include Bendel Insurance vs Remo Stars (Matchday 7). The referees and assistant referees involved in these matches were named in the letter.
The NFF’s Referees’ Development Committee/Unit took this action as a result of the perceived poor performances in these matches. They believed that the decisions made by the referees and assistant referees were not up to the expected standards. By imposing the preliminary suspension, the committee aims to ensure that proper evaluation of the officials’ decisions can take place.
This development highlights the NFF’s commitment to maintaining high standards of officiating in the NPFL. The NFF understands the importance of fair play and accurate decision-making in football matches.
By holding officials accountable for their performances, they aim to improve the quality of refereeing in Nigerian football. The full videos of the matches will be thoroughly examined by the committee to determine the accuracy of the officials’ decisions.
