Leadership (Abuja)
Ishaku Kigbu
11 November 2008
Abuja — After last week Friday's crucial meeting involving Nigeria Premier League Organisers, Nigeria Football League and eggheads of the Nigeria Referees Association, General Secretary of the Referees body, Sunday Audu has confirmed that the match officials are ready to officiate matches involving Enyimba of Aba.
Enyimba, two-time back to back Confederation of African Football (CAF) winners in 2003 and 2004 incurred the wrath of the centre men when they physically assaulted and beat centre referee, Paul Umuaga from Delta State in their week 8 encounter against Heartland of Owerri.
Assistant referees Auwualu Barau and Abdulwaheed Dauda from Kastina State were also not left out of the mob action that saw the destruction of Nigeria Television Authority equipment.
Irked by the savage action of Enyimba fans, NRA officials boycotted all Enyimba matches. The development saw no centre referee or official at last midweek's match between Enyimba FC and Nasarawa United and a clash against Sunshine Stars FC of Akure.
The Nigeria Football League, embarrassed by the attitude of Enyimba fans and security lapses at the Aba Township Stadium, banished the People's Elephant to the Ilorin Township Stadium in Kwara State.
In the same vein, the Nigeria Football Federation, NFF, followed the disciplinary action instituted by the NFL to accept the banishment to Ilorin with a task for the club to fish-out and prosecute the perpetrators.
But the General Secretary of the Nigeria Referees Association, arising from their caucus deliberation, having considered the plea of the Premier league management to parent body NFF, said they would return to officiate Enyimba matches as from this week.
To them, if the boycott if not suspended, it may be counter productive as the competitive level of the league will reduce.
Sunday Audu made it clear that the issue of security must not be compromised, since one of the most important yardsticks to measure a good league is adequate and functional security network.
To this end, he advised the Nigeria Football League to begin putting in place measures to insure the lives of referees who officiate in Glo League matches and the NFF to do same in the National Division One League.
The issue of drafting Mobile Policemen on special request to beef up security at match venues, as well as taking care of officials and teams were reasons given by the Referees' Association to help curb fans' violence.
But observers have tasked the referees to shun corrupt acts that are capable of incurring fans' wrath, while the referees have at the same time called on clubs management and chairmen to desist from enticing them as corruption practice is a function of give and take.
Be the first to Write a Comment!
Copyright © 2008 Leadership. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
