NRA Calls For Referees’ Security As NPFL Penultimate Matches Hold Today
By Amaechi Agbo
Ahead of the Penultimate matches in the Nigeria Professional Football League, NPFL today, the Nigeria Referees Association, NRA has called on State FAs and home teams to ensure the provision of adequate security for the match officials before, during and after the match, Bestchoicesports.com.ng can report.
The NRA in a release signed by its Publicity Secretary, Kelechi Mejuobi, warned that reports of attacks on referees as reported in some venues in matchday 20 would not be tolerated by the association adding that the referees appointed for the league matches are professionally qualified to deliver on their assignments.
“In considering (consideration) of what transpired at some centres in last week midweek games where some referees came close to objects of hostage taking, assaults and harassment in the hands of teams, the Nigeria Referees Association, NRA has requested for adequate protection for its members on duty in today’s encounters,” the statement reads.
Adding that the association’s President, “Otunba Tade Azeez has maintained his insistence that no life of a referee is worth a league match.
“The referees appointed for matches by the NFF Referees Committee for the week 21 matches are not only eminently qualified but also have the required enormous capacity to deliver good officiating. He therefore pleaded to the host teams and their state FAs to do the needful in terms of provision of adequate security adding that the NRA won’t tolerate grounds where referees are visited with unsporting behavior before, during and after the matches,” the statement concluded.
In Kano where Pillars play host to Delta Force of Asaba, a top civil servant from Yobe Council, Ahmed Lamido assisted by Bauchi state referee member, Abba Abubakar and Oladebo Joshua of Oyo will be in charge while a former star referee during his active days and ex Deputy President of the NRA, Barr JBC Obikwelu of the Anambra council will assess a top flight referee and FIFA, Kazeem Abdusalam for the Insurance vs Sunshine cracker in Benin, Edo state. FIFA Abdusalam will be assisted by a lecturer at the Federal Polytechnic Owerri, Nwandu Onyedika of Imo Council and Plateau State Musa Dung (FIFA).
FIFA badged Abdulahi Shuaibu of Katsina will lead FCT’s Idowu Adepoju, and Lawrence Osoria of Edo council to Maiduguri for the Elkanemi vs Ifeanyi Uba while Lagos State Council secretary and retired premier league referee, Dele Atoun will take a vintage position on the stands to monitor how Ephraim Iyorhe of Benue council will operate with the whistle in the Gombe vs Heartland encounter in Gombe as Aina Idris and Adebayo Adedeji of Lagos and Kaduna council respectively will be on the lines giving helping hands.
The appointment from the NFF Referees Committee
1 LOBI STARS FC VS WIKKI T
SHITU ABDULLAHI KD Assessor
BASHIR SALIHU KN FIFA Referee
COSMOS A AN Asst Ref 1
CHRISTOPHER A BY Asst Ref 2
OLALEKE O OS
Fourth Official
2 RANGER INT’L FC VS RIVERS UTD
ALFA ABDULGANIYU
JG
ZULKIFI HONG AD
ABBAS ALIYU KD
OLADAPO OLANIYI
OD
AMINU SALIHU FCT
3 KWARA UNITED FC VS REMO STARS
ALH AJANI OS
UDUBUISI UKAH IM FIFA
KABIDU HARUNA ZM
ISINWA KELECHI IM
ALEX IGE OY
4 ENYIMBA INT’L FC VS NIGER
T
PASTOR BEN IGWE RV
PAUL UMUAGO DT FIFA
A SHAFIYANU KN
BAKARE ADEYINKA EK
EZE EDWIN EN
5 MFM FC VS KASTINA UNITED
IBRAHIM MAJIDADAI
GM
GREMA MOHD BO
HUSSIANI MUSA FCT
SUNNY ATU CR
GODWIN UKPE AK
6 INSURANCE FC VS SUNSHINE
BARR. J.B.C OBIKWELI AN
ABDULSALAM K ZM
FIFA
ONYEDIKA NWANDU
IM
MUSA DUNG PL
COURT SAMSON AB
7 PLATEAU UNITED FC VS YOBE
D
SOLOMON WOKOMA
RV FIFA rtd
IMAMU MALIKI KN
MAROF AROMONA LG
ISA GIMBA MOHD ED
FRANKLY O IM
8 NASARAWA UNITED FC VS
GO ROUND
ZAILANI BA
O OLATUNBUNSO OG
ABUBAKAR HASSAN TR
SAED ABUBAAR SK
ISA ALIYU JG
9 KANO PILLARS FC VS DELTA
FORCE
E.O OSASAWU BA
LAMIDO A YB
ABBA ABUBAKAR BA
OLADEBO JOSHUA OY
PRINCE I EK
10 AKWA UNITED FC VS ABIA WARRIORS
MUSTAPHA USMAN BO
HOPE IGHO LG
AHMED TIJJANI KT
ABDURAHAM JIMOH
BA
PETER BWAMBA FCT
11 EL-KANEMI FC VS
FC IFEANYI UBA
HON JUMARE KD
ABDULLAHI
SHUAIBU KT FIFA
ADEPOJU IDOWU FCT O
LAWRENCE ED
A AREGBESOLA OG
12 GOMBE UNITED FC VS
HEARTLAND FC
DELE ATOUN LG
EPHRAIM IYORHE BN
ANNA IDRIS LG
ADEBAYO ADEDEJI
KD
CHINA BLESSING R