…demands improved security at stadiums
…faults recruitment process at Sunshine Stars
A retired referee and Ondo State NDLEA Commander, Raji Kayode has said that the Nigerian referees officiating in the Nigeria Premier Football League, NPFL, are one of the best in the world and even better than their counterparts in the English Premier League, Wakawaka Sports Extra reports.
According to Kayode, the issue of security has always been a threat to the referees to boldly officiate fairly and squarely while calling on the league organisers and club officials to ensure adequate security for match officials for improved performance.
His words: “Sincerely speaking Nigerian referees are one of the best in the world. I’m saying this not because I’m one but that is the situation. Nigeria referees are one of the best in the world, with all due respect to the English Premier League. We all know that the minus we have in the EPL is the referees. The EPL referees with all due respect are one of the worst. Even with VAR, EPL referees cannot interpret situations but I tell you boldly, Nigeria referees are even better than them.
“The problem with Nigeria referees before was lack of security because when your life is threatened, you have no choice but to save your life. The league organisers have to really up their game as far as security is concerned. When there is enough security, referees should be bold as anything to officiate fairly. The Nigerian referees are doing well and if I have to rate them, I have to give them 7/10 and no matter how you look at it, 7/10 is a pass mark but we still could go further.
“The league organisers did well last season by immediately sanctioning the erring referees and in law they say justice delayed is justice denied, if a referee commits an infraction in week 2 and you wait till week 28 before you take actions when the points are contested, when the winners are about to be decided and you now wait till week 28 to decide infractions of week 2, you are not helping matters but last season, when anything happens in a match, within a week or two, a decision has been taken and that is why a justice should not be delayed because a justice delayed is justice denied.
“For now the referees have been doing well and league organisers have also been doing their monitoring jobs well. I want to besiege the club officials to increase security in the field of play because that is the only thing that can give the referees the boldness to officiate fairly and squarely.”
He commended the league organisers and every stakeholder in the league for the tremendous success story in the league adding that it has resulted to fair officiating and away wins.
“I have to commend the organisers of the league. It is very hard to get commendations in Nigeria generally but I must confess they have started well and I hope they will keep up with this tempo. When I mean they have started well, the league organisers, referees and everybody connected to the league. We have seen a lot of away wins, very fair officiating and I just hope it will continue.”
Reacting to the performance of Sunshine Stars which has pegged them in the 14th position after match day 6, the football enthusiast faulted the recruitment process at the club describing their performance as non impressive and abysmal.
“In a nutshell, non impressive, abysmal and they need to up their game. They have not been doing well. The same happened last year, matches they ought to win, they didn’t win. But in a situation where you are not getting away wins and draws. In a championship like this, they cannot afford to lose at home and away. They really have a lot of work to do.
“What I saw is that with all due respect to management, their recruitment process has been very bad because I have not seen good players that can fit into even an average Nigerian team in the league. I’m not saying they are not good players, they may not be good enough for the premiership, particularly when the window opens, they have to do something.”
