By Joel Ajayi
In a significant step towards the development of football officiating in Nigeria, over 40 young and talented referees are currently participating in the country’s first-ever FIFA-sanctioned physical and technical instructors’ course for referees.
The groundbreaking training program is taking place at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium in Abuja and is organized by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) in collaboration with FIFA, under the 2025 FIFA Member Association (MA) Course for Instructors and Young Talent Referees.
Declaring the course open on Monday, the Secretary General of the NFF, Dr. Mohammed Sanusi, urged the participants to make the most of the opportunity and use the knowledge gained to uplift others in their respective zones.
“This is the first time such a course is happening in Nigeria — with both physical and technical instructors from FIFA here to impact knowledge.”
“At the end of this programme, learning must have taken place. And where learning takes place, there must be a change in attitude and approach to responsibilities. We believe the team of instructors sent by FIFA will help elevate the standard of our referees.”
In his welcome address, the President of the Referees Association and Head of the Referees Unit at the NFF, Subairu Sani, also expressed appreciation to both the NFF and FIFA for bringing the course to Nigeria for the first time.
“This is a historic moment for Nigerian referees,” Sani said. “I urge all participants to not hoard the knowledge they receive here. Take it back to your zones and help develop others this is how we grow football in this country.”
The course aims to build the capacity of young referees and prepare a new generation of instructors who will, in turn, contribute to the improvement of football officiating across Nigeria.
The maiden edition of the event, scheduled from June 9th to 13th, is dedicated to Technical Instructors, while the Nigeria Young Talent Referees Course will take place from June 13th to 19th in Abuja.
