The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has launched a crackdown on referees who may be involved in match-fixing, as the country’s football leagues reach decisive stages.
In a memo signed by the Secretary of the NFF Refereeing Development Committee, Mohammed Ameenu, the federation warned all referees in the Nigeria Premier Football League, Nigeria National League, Nigeria Women’s Football League, and Nationwide League One, which began on Wednesday, to maintain fairness and protect the game’s reputation.
The NFF is concerned that clubs, agents, and other football stakeholders may try to influence referees in order to obtain an unfair advantage. In response, the federation established an independent monitoring committee to oversee all matches and report any questionable activity.
“It is obvious that all three leagues (NPFL, NNL and NWFL) are at a critical stage while the NLO will kick-start,” the memo stated.
“We are conscious that teams and their agents within and outside the refereeing, as well as the football circles, will mount pressure on you in order to court favours for their teams and paymasters.”
According to the NFF, the new monitoring committee will function independently, with members stationed across all match centres to observe and report any activities that go against the rules or tarnish the image of referees.
“The president and the general secretary of the NFF have instituted a powerful monitoring committee with members sent to all match centres in order to independently report any observations that are not in line with the provisions of the laws of the game or tend to bring both refereeing and the game into disrepute,” the memo continued.
Referees were also informed that most matches would be aired live, making their conduct apparent and subject to public scrutiny.
“All referees appointed for matches… are hereby instructed to uphold the principles of equity, fairness and justice.”
The federation issued a clear warning that referees found guilty of influencing matches or receiving favours would face severe punishment. These include long-term bans and potential arrests.
“Anyone found to have acted contrarily will not only be suspended but also banned from any football activity for not less than ten (10) years,” the memo stated.
“This constitutes an attempt to determine or manipulate the outcome of matches outside the laws of the game and therefore implies match-fixing.”
Alongside the sporting suspension, the NFF threatened to involve security services.
“Anyone found to have acted in these negative ways shall also be handed over to State Security Services for further investigation and prosecution.”
