Two Nigerian Referees Under Watch

Nigeria Referees Boss,Tade

Tade Azeez, President of the Nigeria referees (Football) Association has cautioned that any referee found wanting in the remaining games in all the country's  leagues  will not be spared even as punitive measures have been handed to three referees while two others undergo probation.


In a bid to obtain optimal performance in the international and domestic scenes, Tade has declared that mediocrity on the part of the match officials concerning level of officiating of Nigerian referees will not be entertained, adding that the Nigeria Football Federation  Referees Committee is working in tandem with the arbiters body for good officiating.

He urged the   referees to be upright, fair and firm when mandated to handle matches as the second half of the league gets underway.

Tade acknowledged the sanctions placed on  referees  Alaba Abiodun and Kingsley Agbaegbu from Ondo and Niger state referees councils , who were found wanting in the manner they discharged their duties during the first stanza of the league and were suspended till the end of the season.

 The referees boss stated that the disciplinary sanctions indicate that the NRA is not shielding any erring referee from investigation and possible punishment when found guilty  as the body is working towards ensuring that match officials do not tarnish the hard earned good image referees had amassed recently.

 Assistant Referee from Kaduna State, Abubakar Garba Yusuf will also miss action for the remaining matches of the GLO Premier League. Their matter was part of cases looked into by the  referees committee. While Abiodun was found guilty of a very poor performance in  match day 16; Dolphins Vs Wikki Tourist in Port Harcourt, during which he allegedly awarded a questionable penalty, Agbaegbu was found culpable for gross misapplication of the rule on added Time, in allowing  16 minutes in a week 7 match between Shooting stars and Warri Wolves in Ibadan, which incidentally favoured the home team.
 For Yusuf, his poor control of flag found him guilty of awarding one faulty offside decision and two wrong penalties which altered the final result of match between FC Ifeanyi Uba and Abia Warriors in Anambra State.
 
Spokes man of the referees body, Kelech Mejuobi in a press release made available to us also said two referees  Sani Mohammed (Kaduna) and China Blessed (Rivers) State are under watch, for offenses ranging from failure to hold briefs with assistants and poor performance respectively.