REFREEING IN NIGERIA.
By Alhaji Gara Gombe
Recently the Chairman of the Nigeria “Professional”Football league HON.GBENGA ELEGBELEYE declared a clean bill of Health on officiating in the Recently concluded league season.At some point i wanted to ignore him but I could not resist the fact that such a statement coming from the league No 1 citizen i could not resist the temptation to respond to him.
I made a statement and I still stand by it that a club official playing at Home lamented Recently that during the outgoing season they paid match officials 3m to win their match at home but the away Team paid 5m and they beat them at Home.
Another instance where a home team paid for Hotel,Air Tickets of an Away team just for the away team to accept to loose a match.
These happened in this country.Immidiately a top official of NRA whom I was informed is being positioned to take over from ZUBAIRU FIFA wrote a useless rejoineder attacking my person following my statements to HON.ELEGBELEY’s Comments.I choose not to reply him because I know where he is coming from and he must pay bills but the truth does not require Supporters club.With his type incharge of Referees I pity this country.
Officiating in Nigeria was dead long ago,we are only buying time for it’s posthumous funeral.
We handed over payment of Match official to a consultant that is corrupt.It is an indictment to the credibility of our league,a consultant who pays in arrears accumulating bills.
The Emergence of betting did not help.matters at all.Almost everyone is involved,Players,Referees,Match Commissioners,Club officials etc.
Match Fixing is the order of the day no doubt about that.Match fixing is professionalised in Nigeria football and we know them.They are everywhere.
The so-called partners of NFF who initially came to establish a Trust fund for players have suddenly become consultant with no antecedents in football administration and are now incharge of paying match officials.
All these happening are on the global space.It is either we arebready to deal with the problem or forget it.The way our refereeing is drifting is alarming.
Someone with no verifiable source of income,with 7 children,living in a rented apartment,is handed a match and asked to travel for more than 400km to officiate a match without a single kobo paid to him.(Find your way).
The Bias is match appointments and God fatherism syndrome is another factor.
Check the league Table and see the 6 button teams.Who are those incharge of those Teams 4 to 5 years ago and now?Some officials Of Teams blackmailed their states Governments,once they are removed from the management they use their friends in the league including Referees and make sure the teams don’t do well, loosing matches they are suppose to win at home so that they will be ask reappointed.Without them the team will go nowhere.
SOLUTIONS.
1.NFA to declare a state of Emegency on Refereeing in Nigeria Football.
2.Identify a Coporate partner/Sponsor for Refereeing in Nigeria.
3.Prepare a Transition programme where any Referee that spent up to 5 years should retire automatically.
4.A new orientation programme for Younger and professional Referees should commence.
5.One of the components of the Emergency period is to officially Declare Refereeing in Nigeria as a Profession like Engineering,Medical or Piloting.
6.No one whose primary Job earns him less than 250,000 a month should be licenced to officiate an NPFL Match.
7.Our criminal code should criminalise players and officials involve in betting with jail term consequences with no option of fine.
8.Match appointments and other professional requirements should be allowed to be handled by the professional body of Referees in Nigeria.
In a situation where Players and other officials of a club know the outcome of a match before it is played is not only unacceptable but criminal and damaging to out football.
GARA GOMBE
