Nigerian football referees have received a strong charge for better performances from them on the domestic scene, in order to boost their chances of getting appointments for assignments on continental and global levels.
Sports247 reports that this charge was given by the general-secretary of Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Dr Mohammed Sanusi at the conclusion of a FIFA Member Association Course for elite referees in the country.
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Sanusi averred that the two-week programme, which started on June 7th and ended this past Friday in Abuja, was crucial towards keeping Nigerian referees up to scratch with current global standards of the football arbiters’ vocation.
He added that, though the course was basically for elite officials, it covered rules for young talent, beach soccer and FIFA-badge referees, including those officiating matches of the Nigerian Professional Football League (NPFL) and international games.
The NFF’s scribe disclosed further that FIFA deployed representatives to brief Nigerian referees on new amendments to Laws of the Game that are being used at the ongoing World Cup in United States of America, Canada and Mexico.
“The importance of this training is that every year FIFA sends their representatives to come and update us on the amendments to the Laws of the Game. There are new amendments which are being used now at the FIFA World Cup.
“They want us to put these into operation from 1st July (and) I have instructed the referees to do everything possible to put into practice what they have learnt during the training sessions so that Nigerian referees will continue to get better.
“(Once they get better, they will) gradually reclaim their pride of place at the international level,” affirmed Sanusi, who charged all the participants to ensure they apply every aspect of the knowledge they gained during the 12-day course.
