Referees To Wear Communication Gadgets During Matches — NFF

The President of the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF), Ibrahim Gusau has disclosed that referees will be wearing communication gadgets while officiating in Nigerian Premier League matches this season.

Gusau stated this while addressing journalists at the end of the opening game of the Premier League between defending champions, Rangers International and Wkki Tourists.

The match, which was played at the Nnamdi Azikiwe stadium, on Saturday in Enugu, ended in a goalless draw.

He assured that there will be a lot of improvements in the new league season, adding that references will no longer go to the assistant referees to ask questions.

The NFF president said the gadgets will provide platform for referees and their assistants to communicate without going close to themselves.

“From next week, you will see our referees starting to use communication gadgets. The referees will now communicate with themselves, they don’t need to go to AR to start asking them questions.

When asked if Video Assistant Reference (VAR) will be used during the season, he said the Federation wants to ensure the availability of qualified and trained personnel to manage the technology before its introduction to the league.

He, however, assured that the NFF will start with training and retraining of personnel, pointing out that VAR is not easy to manage.