President of the Nigeria Football Federation, Ibrahim Musa Gusau has warned match commissioners and referees, saying it would no longer be business as usual for them.
The riot acts came ahead of Sunday, January 8, 2023 kick-off of the much-awaited 2022/2023 Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) season.
Gusau who gave the warning while inaugurating the referees and match commissioners’ committees inside the NFF Secretariat, in Abuja on Thursday, said any person who fail to meet the high standards already put in place will be summarily ejected and sanctioned appropriately.
“We have been diligent and statute-compliant in the selection of the membership of both the Referees Committee and the Match Commissioners’ Committees, and therefore, we expect them to do their job with the highest level of integrity, passion, commitment and sense of duty.
“The onus is on the committees as we will keenly monitor the performances of your appointees and be dispassionate in our assessment. Anyone found wanting will be thrown out without ceremony, and be visited with further sanctions. The NFF is determined to change the narrative in the league and there is no going back. Please help us to have a new league that all stakeholders will be proud of,” Gusau said.
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Chairman of the match commissioners committee and NFF board member, Alhaji Babagana Kalli, assured that his committee will ascent on transparency and integrity in its work, while also focusing its searchlight on its appointees in order to weed out those who fail to align with the new dance steps.
On her part, FIFA retired referee, Mrs Faith Irabor, who chairs the referees’ committee, affirmed that the narrative will definitely change from the umpires’ side as Nigeria football moves to implement the highest standards of probity in match officiating.
