NFF suspends two referees as crackdown continues against bad officiating

The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has taken disciplinary action against referee Abdulrasheed Jimoh and assistant referee Zakari Adamu, handing both officials indefinite suspensions following a controversial decision to disallow a goal scored by Kwara United against Enugu Rangers in their Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) Matchday 12 encounter.

The NFF Refereeing Development Committee sanctioned the two match officials over what it described as the cancellation of a “validly scored goal”, adding another chapter to the growing list of officiating controversies that have unsettled Nigerian football in recent seasons.

The incident occurred during Sunday’s meeting at the Awka Township Stadium, where Rangers claimed a narrow 1-0 victory over Kwara United.

The Flying Antelopes had taken the lead five minutes before half-time through Victor Chimezie, who finished from a tight angle after receiving a pass from Pius Igwe.

However, Kwara United believed they had found a way back into the contest in the 78th minute when Alex Jerry put the ball into the net. Their celebrations were short-lived when the second assistant referee flagged an infringement and the goal was ruled out.

The decision proved significant as Rangers held on to their advantage to secure all three points, while Kwara United left Awka empty-handed.

The NFF’s intervention now confirms that the decision to disallow Jerry’s effort has been deemed a serious officiating error, with Jimoh and Adamu facing indefinite suspensions.

The development is the latest in a series of disciplinary measures taken against NPFL match officials over decisions considered to have breached the Laws of the Game or directly influenced match results.

Interestingly, the current 2026/27 campaign has already witnessed a similar incident involving a disallowed goal and an assistant referee.

In September, the NFF suspended assistant referee Yakubu Aliyu indefinitely after ruling that his failure to apply the offside guidelines and the wait-and-see protocol resulted in the cancellation of a valid Doma United goal against Enyimba.

The incident occurred during the Matchday 3 fixture, which Doma United won 2-0. The NFF Refereeing Development Committee considered the assistant referee’s decision serious enough to warrant his removal from the league’s list of officials.

In its communication to Aliyu, the committee said he failed to follow the appropriate offside procedures, resulting in the cancellation of a goal that should have stood.

The committee also maintained that the decision affected the scoreline and outcome of the match, bringing refereeing and the game in Nigeria into disrepute.

The suspension of Jimoh and Adamu over the Kwara United incident means the current season has produced more than one high-profile case in which the NFF has sanctioned officials for cancelling a legitimate goal.

The latest suspensions involving Jimoh and Adamu once again spotlight the standard of officiating in the NPFL and the NFF’s approach to holding match officials accountable.

From disallowed goals and questionable penalty decisions to missed spot-kick offences, several clubs have found themselves on the receiving end of controversial calls in recent seasons.

While the NFF’s willingness to review incidents and sanction officials demonstrates an effort to address refereeing errors, the recurring nature of these cases raises questions about whether disciplinary action alone is enough to improve the standard of officiating.

For clubs competing in a league where a single goal can determine points, title ambitions, continental qualification or survival, the consequences of such decisions can be significant.

The latest case also draws renewed attention to the need for continuous referee education, improved match assessment, stronger accountability, and greater consistency in applying the Laws of the Game.

For Kwara United, the disallowed effort against Rangers proved costly in their search for a result in Awka. For the NFF, the suspensions of Jimoh and Adamu represent another attempt to ensure that officiating errors that could influence match outcomes do not go unpunished.

However, with similar incidents recurring across successive NPFL campaigns, the bigger challenge remains ensuring that fewer of these controversies occur in the first place.