AMOS Adamu, the Director-General of the defunct Nigeria Sports Commission (NSC) has urged the Nigeria Referees Association (NRA) to ensure that referees are better equipped to meet the demands of modern officiating.

According to him, dispositions of referees can make or mar the  Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL).

Adamu said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos on Tuesday.

He noted that violence in NPFL could probably be a chain-reaction to bad officiating of matches.

“Honestly, I have not been following football for a while now, but if there is violence, we should ask ourselves what are the factors that trigger this reaction?

“For instance if it is bad officiating, we all know that fans will react; Nigerian fans are yet to have the understanding that when such things happen there are procedures to follow.

“It is usually a chain-reaction, so we need to ensure that our match officials are equipped for this, because their failure to get regular training, their competence will always be questioned,’’ he said.

Adamu,a  former FIFA and CAF member told NAN that players also needed to put in good efforts in order to make their fans happy.

“Some of these fans usually come to the stadium drunk already, so when the match is not in their favour they tend to unleash their terror in their drunken state,” Adamu empasised.

The former director-general advised the players to give their best in order to impress their fans always, saying that players owe it to their fans.

“I believe by so doing, fans will be calm, and as we all know fans cannot be ignored.

“It’s also important to educate the fans, because your favourite team cannot win at all times, so they have to know how to deal with defeats,’’ he said. (NAN)

– Feb. 19, 2019 @ 10:57 GMT |