NLO 2024: BYT Football Academy, Smith urges coaches to stop putting pressure on Referees

Posted : 06 May 2024

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Coach Akande Fatai Adejumo Smith, of the Lagos-based BYT Football Academy, urged Nigeria Nationwide League One (NLO) coaches on Monday to stop putting pressure on match officials and to refrain from blaming referees for their poor performances.

Smith, speaking in response to his team's 4-1 loss to Ojodu City FC in the third-tier Nationwide League One (NLO) Lagos zone 2 on Sunday, insisted that blame should be placed on one's players, not the match officials.

Smith, the national coordinator and head of protocol for the Elite Football Coaches of African Nations (EFCAN) in Nigeria, added that it is unethical for any coach to bribe referees to help a club win matches.

"It has to do with the ethics of the game itself. In EFCAN, part of our focus deals with that and with the way you handle your players.

"Each player comes with various behaviors. Attitude happens to be the only thing that gives you 100% marks in life. Attitude is key.

"So, when you are on the sidelines, there are various ways you can intervene in coaching, especially when the game is ongoing.

"It’s called coaching intervention... talking to your players during the game and giving instructions in different ways.

"It's very important that our coaches should shift their focus away from the referees for what they are doing.

"We are all human, and we know referees are not perfect, but it’s not for coaches to go to the extreme in criticizing match officials."

The BYT FA technical director then used Sunday’s loss to Ojodu City to illustrate the type of response each coach is expected to give during any match situation.

"As far as I am concerned, referees’ decisions don’t decide my own game.

"We focus more on what the players give," Coach Smith declared.

"Like in this match, we started well, with everybody contesting, but, at a key moment, the players switched off.

"How would I then blame it on the referee? We had a chance to score, and we missed it. Will I blame the referee?

"It’s my players that I should go back to, instead of blaming the referee for not giving me a throw-in, not giving me a corner kick, or not giving me a free kick.

"The very moment you leave the key points that will help you develop your player, you will start looking at the wrong faults.

"They are a good side, Ojodu City, they are a very good team. We could not beat them, but what I stress is you don’t need a referee to help you win a match. If you go to the referee, that means you are not doing your job."

The outspoken tactician ended with a word of advice for coaches who think the best way to get victory in matches is by bribing referees, which he opined simply means misusing money meant for the better welfare of players.

"If you want to do football business, you should focus more on your players.

"You can be beaten and still not sell your players, but you can lose and still sell your players.

"So, instead of taking your money to referees, use it for your players," Smith submitted.

NLO 2024: BYT Football Academy, Smith urges coaches to stop putting pressure on Referees

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