The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has formally apologized to referees Ignatius Nwankwo and Chinonso Ezeh following a mistaken identification in an offside call controversy during a recent match.
In an internal memo dated May 5, 2025, the NFF Refereeing Development Committee acknowledged that Nwankwo and Ezeh were incorrectly named in a prior communication regarding a glaring offside goal allowed during the AA FC vs Ozalla FC fixture. The actual officials responsible were later confirmed to be Obayi Ernest and Bonaventure Ibekwe.
The memo, signed by Mohammed Ameenu, Secretary of the Refereeing Development Committee, reads in part:
> “I write with all sense of responsibility, and on behalf of the Refereeing Development Committee, to apologize to you for the mix-up and the trauma such a decision may have caused you. This is highly regretted.”
The apology was also circulated to the NFF President, General Secretary, and the Chief Operating Officer of the Nationwide League One (NLO), reinforcing the Federation’s commitment to accountability.
The refereeing body has emphasized its dedication to fairness and professional integrity, and the correction is expected to restore the reputation of the wrongly implicated officials.
