The Minister of Sports Development, Senator John Owan Enoh has expressed displeasure over the limited roles of Nigerian referees on the international stage.
Mr. Enoh voiced his dissatisfaction in a meeting with the Nigeria Referees Association (NRA) on Thursday and highlighted the significance of Nigerian referees’ involvement outside the shores of the country.
He mentioned the need for the referees to deepen and strengthen their professionalism in order to attract greater participation in International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) and Confederation of African Football (CAF) competitions.
“I am not happy that Nigerian referees are not playing critical roles in both FIFA and CAF flagged competitions as a result of failure to reach the performance and professional threshold set out by both international bodies,” the minister said.
He also encouraged them to take the current 2024 FIFA Member Association Refereeing Development Course seriously.
