Former chairman of the then Nigeria Premier League (NPL) Chief Oyuiki Obaseki, has given reasons why there is corruption in the Referees Committee and the Nigerian Referees Association (NRA).
Chief Oyuiki Obaseki
Obaseki, who admitted that he had a tough time trying to battle the menace while in office, hopes that the corrupt referees will have a rethink and tow the right path.
“The issue of bad officiating is not new in our League, it has been there and it does not give the league good image neither does it give the country positive image in the international community.
“The truth is that the Referees’ Committee is corrupt and the referees themselves are not better. I make bold to say that the Referees’ Committee is corrupt because I worked with them when I was the Chairman of the NPL.
“Many of the members of the Referees Committee have clubs that they support. Many of them are on the pay role of some of the clubs and they make sure that they appoint referees that will do their bidding to officiate in matches involving such clubs,” Obaseki alleged.
“The referees are not better. They are as corrupt as the Referees Committee. Some of these club officials pay them heavily for doing the dirty jobs for them.
“When I discovered the magnitude of corruption that the Referees Committee was involved in, I met with the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to intimate them that it was not proper for the NPL to organise the league without appointing the referees.
“The NFF said they govern football in the country and as a result, they should appoint referees through the Referees Committee,” he said.
Obaseki’s vituperations are coming from a reaction to allegations of poor officiating characterising the eight weeks old Nigeria Professional Football League.