ABEOKUTA – Chairman of Remo Stars Football Club, Hon. Kunle Soname, has proposed the introduction of a structured weekly reward system for referees in the Nigerian Football Leagues, describing it as a necessary step toward improving officiating standards and restoring confidence in the domestic league.
Soname made the call in his end-of-the-year broadcast while speaking to journalists in Ikenne, discussing the challenges facing football officiating in the country. He noted that referees operate under intense pressure with limited motivation and recognition for their consistent performances.
According to him, rewarding officials every week would encourage professionalism, accountability, and sustained excellence.
He explained that the reward system should be performance-based, with referees assessed independently after each match.
He noted that officials who demonstrate sound judgment, consistency, and strict adherence to the laws of the game should be recognised, while repeated poor performances would attract corrective measures, including retraining.
He said, “Referees are central to the credibility of our league, Soname said. When officials are motivated and properly rewarded for doing their jobs well, the overall quality of the competition improves. It’s not just about punishment for mistakes; it’s also about recognising excellence.”
Soname further pointed to the declining international presence of Nigerian referees as a worrying signal, noting that the last time a Nigerian referee officiated at the Africa Cup of Nations was at the Ghana 2008 tournament.
He argued that this gap reflects deeper structural and welfare issues that must be addressed if Nigerian officials are to return to the continental stage.
He also stressed that improved welfare for referees would reduce susceptibility to external influence, a long-standing concern in Nigerian football.
He posited that, regular incentives, combined with prompt payment of match allowances, would allow officials to focus solely on their duties and career development.
Consider one example: A clear, unpunished foul in the box during a match involving Insurance FC of Benin. The committee, chaired by Mrs Faith Irabor, issued a baffling justification, stating, “The attacker was in a hot chase… It is not tripping and no other offence was committed.”
Soname passed a vote of no confidence on the NFF’s Referees Appointment Committee headed by Mrs Faith Irabor.
Soname, who is the owner of Remo Stars Football Club, called for the overhauling of the Referees committee, stressing that the Nigerian football league will grow astronomically if the Referees remain impartial.
“Nigerian football is bigger than all of us. Yet, because we love it, we must have the courage to speak when something is fundamentally wrong. We are here to address a critical and systemic issue that has plagued our football for far too long: the state of officiating in our domestic league.
“For 17 years, not a single Nigerian referee has been selected to officiate at the Africa Cup of Nations, while referees from smaller footballing nations have consistently earned these appointments.
“The uncomfortable reason is clear: the standard of officiating in our domestic league is fundamentally compromised. Decisions on the pitch too often appear to be either fraudulent or grossly incompetent, systematically eroding the credibility required for international consideration.
“This is not about isolated mistakes. It is a pattern that threatens the very integrity of the Nigeria Premier Football League.
“Oversight of this broken system falls to the Referees’ Appointment Committee of the Nigeria Football Federation. This committee has a duty to sanction poor performance and reward excellence. Instead, the evidence points to its complicity in perpetuating this crisis.
“This demands scrutiny, especially given that Mrs Irabor was previously a Director in the Edo State Sports Commission, and the officiating team for that match was changed just two days prior.
“When such changes are followed by a committee vigorously defending indefensible calls, serious questions are raised.
“The committee’s explanations do not withstand scrutiny. In another instance, the chairperson cited the lack of a pre-season seminar as justification for a blatantly incorrect decision. This is not an excuse; it is an admission of systemic failure.
“It is my firm conclusion that the Referees’ Appointment Committee is not solving this problem; it is enabling it. By failing to hold officials accountable and providing implausible cover for clear errors, the committee is aiding and abetting the disease destroying our football’s integrity.
“For Nigerian football to move forward, I call on the NFF, the NPFL management, and the Referees Committee to urgently review these incidents, enforce accountability, and restore confidence.
“But more than that, there is an urgent and non-negotiable need for a total overhaul of the Referees’ Appointment Committee. We must rebuild a system of officiating based on integrity, competence, and transparency.
“Nigerian football deserves better. Our players deserve fairness, our fans deserve honesty, and our league deserves integrity.”
Soname, therefore, called for airing of the NPFL matches on the television to attract fans interest and caution the Referees from making bad decisions on the field.
“Any league not on TV is like inter house. It is not better than inter house, if it cannot be commercialise. If the matches are on TV the Referees will be more cautious”.
