Sports Minister tasks Nigerian Referees on enhanced capacity building

Posted : 12 July 2024

The Minister of Sports Development, Senator John Owan Enoh, has tasked Nigerian referees with deepening and strengthening their professionalism to attract greater participation in FIFA and CAF-flagged competitions.

Enoh, during his interactive session with the 2024 FIFA Member Association Refereeing Development Course, expressed regret that Nigerian referees are not playing critical roles in FIFA and CAF-flagged competitions due to their failure to meet the performance and professional thresholds set by both international bodies.

He described the situation in which Nigerian referees are neglected and relegated to the background in the pecking order by FIFA and CAF as unacceptable.

He stated that the current administration would do everything within its power to reverse this troubling trend.

The Minister noted that his engagement with the referees was part of ongoing efforts to get to the root of the problem and propose solutions.

He recalled that, upon his appointment as minister, one of the early actions he initiated was to invite referees and key stakeholders in sports for discussions when he learned that no Nigerian referee was deemed qualified to officiate in the recently concluded CAF-flagged African Cup of Nations.

“I thought this was unacceptable. For this reason, I began a series of engagements with Referee Associations, the NFF, and other key stakeholders. Sadly, even in the next AFCON, no Nigerian referee was listed to participate in officiating duties by CAF.

“This is a shame. As a country, it is crucial that we address the issues we are not handling properly to change this negative narrative.”

He challenged elite referees to raise the bar regarding their commitment to improving their professionalism, adding that the government is ready to support and work closely with them to end this neglect.

In response to the Minister, the lead FIFA Technical Instructor, Mr. Felix Tangwarinma, thanked him for his commitment to the development of Nigerian referees.

He observed that not too long ago, Nigerian referees performed very well as officials in international competitions but regretted that a lack of continuity has created a significant gap since their retirement.

The FIFA Technical Instructor stated that the training was part of ongoing efforts to close this gap.

He explained that one of the major issues impacting the relegation of Nigerian referees in FIFA and CAF-organized competitions is the fact that currently, there is no Nigerian referee certified to officiate with VAR.

He said that as a country, Nigeria needs to train referees in VAR to enable them to complete the required number of hours stipulated by FIFA and CAF to be selected for officiating in championships.

The FIFA instructor informed the Minister that VAR equipment is very expensive to procure. Given the significant financial implications, he called on the sports ministry to assist with funding, as the NFF may not be able to finance the procurement of the required number of VAR systems for use in the national league.

In the interim, he suggested that Nigeria could bridge the gap by sending referees for VAR training in countries like Morocco and Tunisia while it organizes its internal processes.

Sports Minister tasks Nigerian Referees on enhanced capacity building

ADD A COMMENT :

Hot Topics