The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) Development Committee says no fewer than 200 referees have so far survived the ongoing pre-season fitness test ahead of the 2026/27 football season. Faith Irabor, Chairman of the committee, disclosed this in Abuja while assessing the progress of the exercise, saying the test had exposed referees who were not sufficiently prepared for elite level officiating.
She said about 254 referees were initially expected to participate in the exercise, but the number had dropped to below 200. “So far, so good. We have achieved what we want. There are a lot of them that were not serious, and those are the people that failed. For a top-class and elite referee to fail in lap seven when you are supposed to run 12 laps with ease, shows how unprepared you are,” Irabor said.
According to her, referees invited for the exercise were selected based on their consistency, physical fitness, technical ability and psychological readiness. She said the exercise was only the preliminary stage, with the successful referees expected to undergo theoretical and practical sessions on the Laws of the Game.
Also speaking, Emmanuel Miere, FIFA/CAF National Referee Fitness Coach and Instructor for Nigeria and WAFU B, attributed the high number of failures partly to inadequate off-season preparation by some referees. Miere said referees must maintain their fitness throughout the year rather than waiting until the beginning of a new season before resuming serious training.
The winners: the referees who passed the test; and the NFF, which has set a higher standard. The losers: the referees who failed, who cannot officiate; and Nigerian football, which may face a shortage of qualified referees.
Bottom Line: Only the fittest referees will officiate this season. The NFF is raising the standard.