Nigeria Referees Association Condemns Attack On Referees, Requests For Action By NFF, League Bodies.
The leadership of the Nigeria Referees Association has released a statement condemning the attack on Referees during league matches in the country the latest the harassment of match officials in Kano during the Kano Pillars Vs Dakkada Fc NPFL game.
The statement from the NRA as signed and released by the associations Publicity secretary Mr Kelechi Mejuobi on Friday 24th June 2022 reads..
” The attention of the Nigeria Referees Association, NRA, has been attracted to recent developments in the domestic leagues which attempts to not only impede on the progress made by the referees’ body to ensure good officiating but also have become a threat to the lives of members.
As the ongoing NPFL, NNL and NLO matches are getting close to the finishing points, it has come to the knowledge of the NRA that clubs and their officials are intensifying various forms of unothordox practices to ensure outcome of matches are in their favour, especially at the home front.
Reliable information available to the NRA has it that all manners of misconduct and unsporting behaviors targeted against the match officials have become the tactics of teams and officials to ensure they maintain the obsolete “win at home” syndrome. These unapproved approaches include harassments, intimidations, verbal insults and physical assaults on the referees.
The NRA wishes to use the opportunity to condemn the recent post made by an official of an NLO team in the social media, where a threat to kill a referee was revealed in the public. More disturbing are regular pockets of induced ferocious attacks on NNL referees at match venues while the bizarre action of Kano Pillars FC of Kano Chairman, on Thursday’s NPFL game in Kano, (Kano Pillars vs Dakkada) is another sad commentary of the vicious tackles against referees.
The premidiated plans of club officials to use violent conduct as means to disrupt free and fair officiating have increased to a worrisome dimension forcing the association to call on the affected authorities for urgent actions.
In view of the above, the NRA, after a critical review of the unfolding ugly scenario is calling on the Nigeria Football Federation, NFF, the League Management Committee, LMC, organisers of the NNL and NLO to kindly intervene by putting adequate measures against the menace.
Apart from asking for a revision of the operational rules guiding attacks on referees by teams and their officials, NRA advocates for strict penalities be adopted as panecea to checkmate the the growing theatre of absurdities.
The NRA is therefore calling for adequate security at venues for all the matches its members shall be involved.
In the meantime, the NRA has admonished members involved in the officiating of matches to go by the rules of the competition and FIFA laws of the game. The president of the NRA, Otunba Tade Azeez warned the referees to eschew acts not inconformity with the code of conduct and integrity clause of the NFF/NRA. Referees facing threats at match venues are enjoined to call the attention of appropriate quarters.
Kelechi Mejuobi
National Publicity Secretary
Nigeria Referees Association.
