Referees Exultant As Three-In-One FIFA Programme Ends In Abuja

The General Secretary of the Nigeria Football Federation, Dr Mohammed Sanusi MON, says the 2026 FIFA Member Association Course for elite referees is crucial to keeping Nigerian officials in step with global standards.

Sanusi made this assertion in Abuja on Friday following the conclusion of the course for the elite officials. The two-week programme, which ran from 7th – 19th June 2026, covered young talent, beach soccer, and elite referees, including those officiating in the Nigeria Premier League and FIFA-listed matches.

Sanusi noted that FIFA deployed representatives to Nigeria to brief referees on new amendments to the Laws of the Game currently in use at the ongoing FIFA World Cup finals in the United States, Canada and Mexico. “The importance of this training is that every year FIFA sends their representatives to come and update us on the amendments to the Laws of the Game. There are new amendments which are being used now at the FIFA World Cup and they want us to put these into operation from 1st July 2026.”

He charged participants to apply the knowledge gained: “I have instructed the referees to do everything possible to put into practice what they have learnt during the training sessions so that Nigerian referees will continue to get better and gradually reclaim their pride of place at international level.”