Latest News
President Ibrahim Gusau promises women more NFF roles after Faith Irabor appointment
By Saheed Afolabi
Nigeria Football Federation president Ibrahim Gusau said he would continue to give competent Nigerian women in football a pride of place in his administration.
Gusau’s statement is coming on the heels of the appointment of Faith Irabor as the head of NFF referees committee, becoming the first woman to handle the position in Nigerian football history.
Explaining his choice of the female Edo State born experienced arbiter, Gusau described the appointment of Irabor as an opportunity to give competent women the chance to excel as his administration will not relegate women.
“Immediately, I was elected as NFF president, I promised that I will change the narratives. First of all, we tried as much as possible to make sure that we do what is right, and secondly, you see this is something that has never happened before,” Gusau told CAFOnline.com.
“If we have some women that are equally competent to do what we need them to do, at least I feel it’s important for us to give them the opportunity because these are people that I have been part of, and I know all their characters and behaviours.
“I say let us try a woman so that we would give her opportunity, we will give the women that opportunity to see how they can give us their contribution and to make sure that at least everybody is been carried along.
“We should not relegate our women and we would see a lot of appointments coming for women very soon during my tenure.”
Faith Irabor will be taking on her new role as an experienced and retired FIFA referee, former CAF referee instructor, and as the first vice president of the Nigeria Referee Association (NRA).
The referee committee will handle the referees appointment of matches and other officiating issues concerning the referees for two years from 2023 to 2025 across the domestic leagues and the excited Irabor is happy at the opportnity bestowed upon her as she pledges to do her best to change the narratives for good.
“I’m excited because It is an opportunity to bring my experience on board as I have been in the field for years, as a retired FIFA referee, and a one-time CAF instructor up until five years ago,” Irabor told CAFOnline.com.
“So I am in very familiar terrain. So for Nigeria, it is a huge task and the president has promised to give us a level playing ground and we will do our best to change the narratives.
“As a woman, I have always enjoyed landmark achievements when FIFA was picking referees for the first time in 1995, I was one of them. For the first time, I was among the first eight CAF instructors as, that’s technical, and the first woman.
“In our Nigeria Referees Association, I’m also the first woman to be first vice president. It’s like I operate more in the men’s world. So, it’s not new to me. I’m used to it. I have been in the league with men and was once the best Referee of the Year.
“I appreciate the president for finding me worthy to do this job and bring a lot of reforms. He dared to follow the FIFA and CAF regulations which is a good omen and we can see that everything is moving in the right direction.”
While Irabor is chairman, Rabiu Umar is vice chairman of the Referees Committee, with Oba James Odeniran, Abraham Zakowi, Waziri Furo Gawe, C. C. Chukwujekwu and Bello Abubakar as members, and Sani Zubairu as the secretary.
Continue Reading
