Nigeria’s heroic centre referee in two matches at the recent Women’s Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco, Yemisi Eunice Akintoye has advised aspiring arbiters not to be in a hurry to reach the top of their vocation.
Sports247 reports that Akintoye, who officiated a group match between Kenya and Senegal as well as the semi-final clash of Algeria versus Malawi, also pointed out that no one should take refereeing as a profession, as it’s meant to be a hobby.
Akintoye stated this and much more during the ‘Hot Seat’ segment of Sports247’s television programme, ‘Inside Naija Sports,’ which streams online via YouTube and airs every Saturday at 12pm on NTA News 24.
She added that it’s a privilege for her to have been the centre referee for two matches of WAFCON 2026 as well as a fourth official in three others but stressed that her breakthrough came after 14 years of enduring and working harder with each passing day.
The graduate of Human Kinetics from University of Lagos added, “It’s a long journey. I’m just privileged and lucky, because people who started before me did not get badged. I believe it’s mostly a case of if you are destined to get there.
“I started in 2012, and I got badged in 2021. It took me nine years, and it was not easy. Since that time, this is the first year that I have been picked to referee in WAFCON.
“Looking at it from 2012 to 2026, you will realise that a lot has gone by. That’s why we normally say being a referee is not an occupation. It’s a hobby and it won’t bring money for you just like that.
“So, outside refereeing, you still need to have something else that you are doing to earn a living. You can’t just rely on refereeing alone for you to survive in life.”
She then spoke about her position as the CEO of Misty Photography Studio and shot her mind back to how it all began during the COVID-19 epidemic lockdown, when she looked for what could keep her busy and then turned it into a gainful business a year later.
Akintoye disclosed, “The main thing I do outside refereeing is photography. I became an active photographer after I finished school, and I then faced it fully during the Covid lockdown in 2020.
“People were not going out, nobody went to work and I just had to keep myself busy. So, when I became a referee in 2021, I decided to invest in it, and I set up a studio in Ketu.
“I don’t go there all the time, but I have people running it for me. So, my advice for aspiring referees is that the road is far, but they must not start off by thinking about the distance.
“Don’t start while thinking about the far road. Otherwise, you will not get there. I believe you will get there once you start with passion and determination. You then have to keep on going in spite of the situation.”
The gentle and slender arbiter concluded by urging parents to take their daughters and sons out early to start learning how to be referees, because she knows that they will get a lot in return from it once their offsprings reach the top of the whistles’ vocation.
“It’s not too late for anyone to start – once you are fit and healthy – but it’s better to start early. Yes, it’s good to start early, but you also have to start from somewhere with your passion in it.
“Parents can bring their daughters and sons, because you don’t know what they’ll be in the future. However, the truth is that refereeing is something in which you have to prove yourself repeatedly.
“You have to prove yourself again and again and still keep on proving yourself. If you prove yourself today and you don’t do it tomorrow, the assessors will forget about you.
“You have to take an opportunity with any match you are given, because there’s nothing like a small match. Even if it’s in your community or a small area, just do your best, because you don’t know who’s watching.
“You can’t know who’s watching you out there, and that person may be the one who will connect you with something big. You must also know they refereeing demands a lot of physical fitness.
“This means you have to maintain your body in good health all the time, and you must be conversant with laws of the game. It’s tough and long, but achievable,” Akintoye reiterated.
