By Kunle Solaja.

Nigerian football has seen this movie before. The script rarely changes. Only the victims do.

When controversial officiating becomes routine, when patterns of “human error” consistently harm particular clubs, and when referee appointments remain opaque, the question is no longer about mistakes.

It is about the system.

In 1986, the IICC Shooting Stars became the centre of controversy after the late Chief Lekan Salami accused referees of bribery. What followed was a season of decisions that many believed were punitive. By the end, the once-dominant club had been relegated.

In 2000, after the late Col. Yabilsu, then Chairman of the Nigerian Referees Association, was attacked in Ilorin, Kwara United were banished from their home base to Calabar for the remainder of the season. At the time, they were top of the league. What followed defied football logic: a 14-match losing streak in the second stanza. Fourteen straight defeats. From first place to relegation.

Football can be unpredictable. But not that predictable.

Today, once again, questions swirl around officiating standards. Clubs complain. Fans protest. Analysts point to recurring inconsistencies. Yet the structure responsible for referee appointments remains largely insulated from scrutiny.

It is almost certain that Remo Stars, the current Nigerian champions, are doomed to relegation, no matter how hard they struggle. This is just not their season, as it is apparent that Nigerian referees are bent on getting the club relegated. Last December, the club owner, Kunle Soname, cried out about an apparent referees’ gang-up, just as the late Chief Lekan Salami did, four decades ago.

As Chief Lekan Salami did 40 years ago, Kunle Soname last December publicly questioned officiating standards in the Nigeria Premier League. In the weeks that followed, his club found itself at the centre of contentious refereeing decisions that have deepened the debate.

Instead of improvement, it has gone from bad to worse in successive matches. Yet the Nigerian football administrators have not bothered to look into the complaints of questionable referees’ appointment, as well as the glaring poor image of the Nigerian referees, who are hardly considered in international championships.

And here is the real danger: perception.

Once fans believe referees can influence league outcomes, the integrity of the competition collapses. Sponsors hesitate. Investors retreat. Television audiences shrink. Credibility evaporates.

Perhaps this persistent domestic controversy also explains why Nigerian referees struggle to secure regular appointments at major continental and global tournaments. While officials from countries with far smaller football footprints, including Burundi, Chad, Mauritania, Djibouti and Lesotho, have featured at recent editions of the Africa Cup of Nations, Nigeria has been conspicuously absent.

Save for the brief cameo of Samuel Pwadutakam at the 2021 tournament in Cameroon, no Nigerian referee had been appointed to the AFCON in nearly two decades. For a country that prides itself as a continental football powerhouse, that statistic is difficult to ignore.

Whether by coincidence or consequence, prolonged absence at elite competitions inevitably raises questions about domestic officiating standards, development structures, and institutional credibility.

For a nation of Nigeria’s football stature, participation at the highest refereeing level should be routine, not rare

International bodies are uncompromising about integrity. If domestic officiating is repeatedly controversial, global trust naturally declines.

No league grows under suspicion.

The referee appointment committee must no longer operate like a closed circle. Transparency must replace discretion. Merit must replace influence. Independent performance review mechanisms must be instituted. Technology must be embraced.

Because when referees become more powerful than results, the competition is already compromised.

Nigerian football deserves better.

And until the officiating structure is reformed, history will keep repeating itself with different clubs, the same controversy, and the same damage to our national sporting image.

This nonsense has to stop.

Join the Sports Village Square channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vaz7mEIGk1FxU8YIXb0H

In a move seen as both symbolic and corrective, the Nigeria Football Federation on Monday decorated 30 Nigerian referees with FIFA badges, as its President, Ibrahim Musa Gusau, delivered a stern warning on integrity and performance in the face of growing scrutiny over domestic officiating and the declining international presence of Nigerian match officials.

The ceremony comes against a backdrop of concerns about the waning influence of Nigerian referees at continental and global championships, as well as persistent complaints about questionable officiating in the domestic leagues — issues that have affected confidence in the system.

Addressing the newly badged officials, Gusau underscored that increased television coverage of league matches would eliminate any room for misconduct.

“Our league matches are now being televised. For instance, the game between Shooting Stars and Warri Wolves was broadcast live on approximately eleven television stations. We intend to increase this coverage to thirty stations by the end of the season, ensuring that your officiating will be visible worldwide,” Gusau said.

He warned that live broadcasts would expose any wrongdoing, stressing that the NFF would not hesitate to withdraw FIFA badges from referees found wanting.

“There is no hiding place now. Your matches will be televised live, and any referee who conducts himself improperly will have his or her badge revoked without exception. We must take this very seriously,” he stated.

In a further show of zero tolerance, the NFF President directed that any referee accused of misconduct must immediately surrender his or her badge and uniform pending disciplinary review, with no expectation of intervention.

“Do not assume anyone will intercede on your behalf. If you misbehave, you should voluntarily relinquish your uniform, as you will no longer be part of this refereeing community. This is the decision we have made, and we will enforce it strictly,” Gusau added.

Observers say the tough posture reflects the Federation’s recognition that inconsistent officiating has dented the credibility of Nigeria’s domestic competitions and contributed to the limited appointment of Nigerian referees to high-profile fixtures under the Confederation of African Football and FIFA in recent years.

Gusau linked improved officiating standards directly to the league’s commercial prospects, warning that sponsors would be discouraged by controversial decisions and lack of professionalism.

“Our goal is to continually enhance the league’s welfare. However, poor officiating is capable of scaring away prospective sponsors. We have now secured a deal with a television station that will improve the league’s visibility across the country through live broadcasts, provided the states have television stations capable of airing the matches,” he said.

Also speaking at the event, NFF General Secretary, Mohammed Sanusi, MON, expressed confidence in the technical competence of Nigerian referees, drawing from his experience as a CAF and FIFA match commissioner.

“Concerns have been raised about our referees not officiating international matches. I am here to affirm that our referees are competent. As a CAF and FIFA match commissioner with a history in football since 1980, I can distinguish between deliberate mistakes and unintentional errors,” Sanusi said, urging officials to consistently give their best.

Of the 30 referees decorated, four are futsal referees, four are beach soccer referees, eleven are assistant referees and eleven are referees.

Dignitaries at the ceremony included NFF Executive Board Member Babagana Kalli; NFF Technical Director, Coach Augustine Eguavoen; Benue State FA Chairman Paul Edeh; Kogi State FA Chairman Hassan Wada; and Acting Chairman of the NFF Referees Committee, Rabiu Gusau.

For Nigerian refereeing, the message was unmistakable: global badges now come with global visibility — and accountability.

Join the Sports Village Square channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vaz7mEIGk1FxU8YIXb0H

The General Secretary of the Nigeria Football Federation, Dr Mohammed Sanusi, has commended the Board of Editors and Panel of Judges of Daily Telegraph Publishing Company Limited for deciding to honour Nigeria’s senior women’s national team, the Super Falcons, with a Special Recognition Award.

The award follows the Super Falcons’ historic 10th title triumph at the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco last summer.

According to the organisers, the Special Recognition Award will be presented to the team at the New Telegraph Awards Ceremony scheduled to hold in Lagos on Friday, 13 February 2026.

“We appreciate and applaud the nomination and eventual choice of the Super Falcons for the special recognition award by Daily Telegraph Publishing Company Limited,” Sanusi said. “Surely, the Falcons deserve recognition and love for all the glory they have continued to bring to our dear country over the decades.

“Mission X was an inspired campaign, and our team delivered superbly, which made everyone happy. We are already looking forward to the team successfully retaining the trophy this year, and in the process qualifying for next year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup finals in Brazil.”

Explaining the rationale for the honour, the newspaper group recalled the Falcons’ remarkable run at the tournament, noting that Nigeria travelled to Morocco seeking a record-extending 10th title at the 13th edition of WAFCON, having already won the competition nine times.

The citation highlighted the team’s dramatic path to glory, including their semi-final victory over defending champions South Africa’s Banyana Banyana, before a thrilling final against hosts Morocco. Trailing 2–0, the Super Falcons rallied to level the match and went on to secure a memorable 3–2 victory in regulation time in front of a partisan home crowd.

The triumph further cemented Nigeria’s dominance in African women’s football and underlined the Super Falcons’ status as the continent’s most successful national team.

Join the Sports Village Square channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vaz7mEIGk1FxU8YIXb0H