Head coach of Ekiti Queens FC, Jacob Vandy, has strongly criticised the standard of officiating following his side’s 2 -0 defeat to Bayelsa Queens FC in their Nigeria Women Football League (NWFL) Premiership encounter on Wednesday.
Speaking after the match, Vandy expressed satisfaction with his players’ performance but insisted that questionable refereeing decisions played a decisive role in the outcome.
“My players did exactly what I asked them to do. Their performance was okay,” Vandy said.
“The officiating, however, was somehow. The first goal was fine, but the second goal killed the game totally because it was clearly offside.”
The Ekiti Queens coach further lamented that inconsistent officiating continues to hurt teams in the league, stressing that such issues affect overall development and competitiveness.
“This kind of officiating is one of the reasons we are not doing well in competitions. The referees really need to go back to the drawing board,” he added.
Despite his frustration, Vandy was quick to acknowledge the quality of the opposition, praising Bayelsa Queens for their effort on the day.
“Sincerely, Bayelsa Queens played well. They are a good side. But if you watched the game closely, we had more possession and pressed them. They mostly relied on long balls.”
Looking ahead, the coach admitted that his team needs improvement in the attacking department and confirmed plans to address the issue before the second stanza of the season.
“You’ve mentioned exactly what is disturbing me. Our attacking unit needs work. We are going back to the drawing board to fix that.”
Ekiti Queens ended the first stanza of the Nigeria Women Football League Premiership in sixth position with two wins, one draw and seven points, as they now shift focus to strengthening the squad ahead of the remaining fixtures.
