Nigerian Referee, Ferdinand Udoh has urged the administrators of the Premier Football League to ensure the sustainability of the process which has helped to improve officiating in the Country’s elite league.
Udoh described the current climate in the NPFL and for Referees as ideal for the best outcome of the true quality of the division.
Speaking on Brila FM’s morning show “the Big Interview”, the respected Nigerian Referee identified cases where “simple genuine sincerity and credibility” was all it required to get things working.
“Nigerian referees have always been good, they have always been one of the best around, the problem has always been the clubs,” Udoh said on “the Big Interview”.
“The clubs and the league organizer, IMC, are in agreeance over a stated penalty for the harassment of Referees where evidence exist.
“Bayelsa United have been penalized and that kind of sincerity has prompted all the other teams to sit up. Since then we have not heard of violence at any centres this season,” he explains.
“We’ve not heard of Referee intimidation nor any match official getting beat up this season, and what that does is reinforce confidence needed to officiate fairly once you know adequate security has been provided.
” But there’s still some work to be done on documenting and improving on the grounds cover to ensure that this is a sustainable process for Referees in the course of doing their jobs.”
