NFF President Gusau threatens stiffer punishment for referees with questionable calls 

By Wale Mustapha

President of Nigeria Football Federation, NFF, Alhaji Ibrahim Musa Gusau has disclosed the federation’s measures to punish any match officials caught in act capable of bringing league to disrepute.

Alhaji Gusau gave the warning in reaction to recent Nigeria Premier Football League, NPFL match between Rivers United and Niger Tornadoes handled by the Center Referee, Faro Abdulrahman.

Referee Abdulrahman from Lagos State was alleged to ruled a ‘good goal’ scored by Tornadoes in the 2-1 win for Rivers United and he along with other erring referees have since been suspended and have been summoned to appear before a Referees Committee panel.

The NFF President reiterated that the faulted referees would not only be reprimanded or suspended but will be delisted from match arbiters’ list in Nigeria.

“If you suspend a referee, he will use emissaries to beg for leniency, we will delete such a referee from our list. We want to build the league to be viable and strong, so that it can attract sponsors and bring back the spectators to the stadium,” he said.

“We’re rebuilding the league, and we want to return the people’s confidence to the league so we’ll not allow anybody to drag us backwards, and even if that person is from Gusau he will be deleted. We have to get it right in other to regain the confidence the Nigerian people put on us.”

Apart from referee Faro Abdulrahman from Lagos State, other referees that have been suspended from officiating in the NPFL are Ndubuisi Ukah from Imo state and Otuwho Morrison, Delta State.