The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has expressed serious concern over what it describes as a worrying decline in officiating standards across the country’s domestic leagues.
READ ALSO: AFCON 2025: Comoros Unveil Final 26-Man Squad for Morocco Tournament
The federation’s executive committee discussed the issue extensively during its meeting held on Wednesday at the NFF Secretariat in Abuja, where members reviewed reports and assessments from match venues nationwide.
According to the federation, the quality of refereeing in the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL), Nigeria National League (NNL), Nigeria Women Football League (NWFL), and the Nationwide League One (NLO) has fallen below acceptable standards in recent months.
This development, the NFF noted, threatens the credibility of league competitions and undermines efforts to improve Nigerian football at all levels.
In the communiqué issued after the meeting, the executive committee did not mince words about its displeasure. It highlighted recurring complaints of poor decision-making, inadequate match control, and questionable calls that have sparked controversy among clubs, fans, and stakeholders.
The committee also cited growing concerns surrounding alleged collusion between referees and club officials, as well as deliberate manipulation of match outcomes to favour specific teams.
“Following an assessment of the performance of referees handling matches in all the leagues.The Executive Committee expressed deep-seated disappointment with the scorecard of a great number of the officials.
The body warned that even sterner measures are on the way to curb the incidence of poor officiating, incompetence, collusion with club officials, and bare-faced manipulation of matches to favour certain teams and interests,” the communiqué stated.
The NFF emphasized that restoring integrity in officiating is a top priority ahead of the upcoming stages of the season.
It added that disciplinary actions, retraining programmes, stricter monitoring, and new evaluation systems will be introduced to ensure referees meet the professional standards required to advance Nigerian football.
No Nigerian referee was selected for the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco, the continent biggest football fiesta.
 has expressed serious concern over what it describes as a worrying decline in officiating standards){kind=link}