Eighteen referees have suspended from officiating matches in the ongoing 2019 Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) by the Nigeria Referees Association (NRA).
Concise News understands that the suspension might not unconnected with unprofessional conducts in the discharge of their duties in the league.
The NRA, in a statement on Saturday, reiterated its determination to enthrone professionalism and fair officiating in the NPFL while applying global/FIFA officiating rules at all times.
The statement read in part: โThe NRA while recalling that it has recommended for punishment referees found wanting in the course of discharging their duties as about 18 of them in the Premier League list have so far been relaxed for further appointments pending the final determination of their cases.
In the NPFL that is in Week 9, the referees’ body strongly adopts a very serious zero tolerance to corruption and bribe taking in the system and can be proud to state that in the past four years, there has never been an established case of bribe taking raised against Nigeria referees both at home and international levels.
Referees shall neither be cowed nor distracted by certain unorthodox antics employed by the real enemies of Nigerian football to easily have their way in the system.โ
Reports over the week have alleged NPFL match officials returned N1 million bribe they collected to influence Yobe Desert’s match last week.
