Twenty Two Top Nigerian Referees Receive FIFA Badges

Col Olawale being decorated

 International referees of Nigerian extraction have been advised to be worthy representatives of the country at all cadres of football, both at local and continental levels.

The charge was given by the President of the Nigeria (Football) Referees Association, NRA, Tade Azeez, after the FIFA Badging exercise at the Transcorp Hilton hotel, Abuja, according to a statement issued by Kelechi Mejuobi, National Publicity Secretary, NPS, of the arbiters' body.

 Speaking moments after about 22 Nigerian male and female referees were officially decorated with the FIFA badges to be eligible to take part in the Confederation of African Football, CAF, and Federation International Football Association, FIFA, organized matches, Tade enjoined them to take their elevated titles as a greater task of projecting positive image of Nigeria at African and world football scenes.

 Tade who graced the event that also heralded the annual Nigerian Football Federation, NFF Congress, noted that as ambassadors of the country, their on and off the field conducts are of great concern to the referees association as well as the country's football organising body, adding that discipline, respect to rules of the game and competitions should always be their watchwords.
 

Tade Azeez

According to Tade, " we at NRA have set up a machinery targeted at mentoring our international referees to be worthy representatives at all levels even as better welfare packages, excellent training facilities, logistics and sophisticated training personnel have been lined up ahead the coming season. NRA is not resting on its oars to produce a referee at the senior World Cup in no distant time"

 Tade expressed gratitude to the leadership of Amaju Pinnick led NFF and the NFF Referees Committee ably chaired by Alhaji Ahmed Fresh for providing necessary support and being strategic partners in the development of Nigeria referees.

 While foremost international Nigeria's assistant referee, Peter Edibe bowed out in grand style after reaching the mandatory age for retirement having been on the saddle for about two decades, the 2016 FIFA badging exercise witnessed the listing of three younger referees in the FIFA cadre, namely Salisu Bashiru, 25, Adepimpe Quadri 25, as referees while the new Assistant Referee, Digbori Tejiri is 23 years. An army officer, Col Famoli Olawale was also badged as Beach Soccer FIFA Referee. The Honourable Minister of Youth and Sports Barr Lalong performed the badging exercise witnessed by football federation officials and other interested stakeholders in Nigeria football.