2024/25 NPFL: Nigeria referees promise better officiating this season – Irabor

2024/25 NPFL: Nigeria referees promise better officiating this season.

The Chairman of Nigeria Football Federation’s Referees Development Committee, Mrs Faith Irabor, has promised improved officiating at the 2024/2025 Nigeria Premiership Football League.

Irabor gave the assurance in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria on the sidelines of the Cooper test and training for referees, on Thursday in Abuja at the Moshood Abiola stadium.

She said that the changes in officiating would be in the areas of off-side and handball.

“It is only a deliberate handball that will be penalised. This is because if the ball hits the hand that is in its natural position, no foul will be given.

“If you watched the European Championship, you will discover that the referees did not punish players for handballs that were not deliberate.

“So the training, among others is to educate the referees that when the hand is in its natural position and the ball hits it, the rule of the game has not been violated,” he said.

Irabor further added that the essence of the test was to ensure that the referees were alert mentally and physically to be able to make the best decision.

She said that fit referees were dropped in the Batch A training of the referees, which started on Aug. 19.

According to her, about 80 per cent of the referees that participated in the first batch of the test and training passed, while 20 per cent dropped.

“The test and training were good in spite of that some had to drop; in all, I will say the performance was not bad because 80 per cent were in the A group,” she said.

On the welfare of referees, she said that the welfare package of referees has been increased by 100 per cent unlike before.

She said that no referee was being owed his or her wage or indemnity, so the best of officiating is what is expected from them this season.

Irabor said that this year’s Cooper test and training were holistic because management of the clubs that will participate in this year’s league was also part of the training.

“We invited the club coaches, secretary, and club captains to the training so that we will all be on the same page,” he said.

She said the essence of training both the club management and the referees was to ensure that nobody violated the laws of the game.

The chairman maintained that punishments would be meted out to those who violated the laws of the game.

NAN reports that a total of 250 referees participated in the exercise, with about 20 per cent of them dropping out.

(NAN)