The Chief Operating Officer of the Nigeria National League (NNL) Emmanuel Adesanya has strongly condemned the quality of officiating in the on-going second tier Nigeria league.
Adesanya comments came after overseeing affairs in the Day 7 of the NNL and been opportune to go through the various match reports from referees , match commissioners and assessors coupled with opportunity to watched some of the league matches.
Several matches drew the ire of the COO and in a point blank manner, the Ijebu born football administrator told Blueprint sports last night in Abuja that “officiating has been very nauseating and appalling. Officiating has been very annoying I must confess. A lot of match officials are not doing well with the reports that we are getting from the venues.
“This is a big challenge to the league but we hope for improvement. The chairman of the league Senator Obinna Ogba has promised that he would meet with the top brass of the Nigeria Referees Association(NRA) the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) match appointment committee to ensure that competent and unbiased arbiter are saddle with such responsibility and to find a lasting solution to the hydra headed menace that want to consume the league.
“Most of the referees are kill-joy. Imagine a team that prepares seven days adequately for a match only for referees to ruin their plans in twinkle of an eye. He does not speak well of the league. And it saddens me personally.
Adesanya condemned the “win at home syndrome by all means” as a saddening development that must be totally denounce by all well meaning Nigerians. The joy of football is to go and win anywhere or play draw anywhere.
Adesanya lamented the logistics and enormity of playing in the NNL with the teams traveling far distances to play their matches with the inherent bad roads, insecurity and banditry that’s been coming a norm in the country.
He insisted that the NNL will continue to enforce Covid-19 protocols in all its matches and urged all the clubs, officials and players to comply with government directives for their own safety.
The NNL is playing abridged league with four groupings consisting of ‘almost’ ten teams each
