3SC/Insurance Cracker: Stakeholders Call For A Full Investigation of the Bauchi State Council Referee, Nurudeen Abubakar

By : Sunday Agunbiade

Match Day 7 of Nigeria Premier Football League between Shooting Stars Football Club of Ibadan and their traditional rival, Bendel Insurance of Benin which held in Lekan Salami Stadium, Adamasingba,Ibadan on Sunday 12th February, 2023 might have come and gone, but the overall assesment of the Bauchi State Referee Council, Nurudeennn Abubakar was adjudged by  league followers as the worst officiating in the history of Nigerian football.       

                                           

Why some were of the opinion that arbiter might have been induced, some football fans noted that he allowed the rules of the game to suffer outright neglect in the course of the game.                                                                                                                                                      Abubakar conspicuosly allowed a well adjudged penalty appeals by the home side in the two seperate incidents which occured at each halves slide, a situation which would have changed the outcome of the results for the Ibadan based outfit as he brazenly disallowed a goal bound attempt situation.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             

Truth be told, under this IMC,Referees have improved tremendously because of prompt payment of indemnities, a 100 per cent increment by IMC led by Hon Gbenga Elegbeleye in terms of their allowances which was the stimulation of the better and improved league we are seeing at the moment.

The question now is what happens to referees who are expected to maintain a fair play and making binding decisions on the application of soccer laws?

The head referee works together with the assistant referees, who are responsible for watching the lines and ensuring that the game is fair.

Sometimes, rarely, a referee's decision coincides with the will of the fans, but even then he does not succeed in proving his innocence. The defeated lose because of him and the victorious win in spite of him", wrote the Uruguayan writer Eduardo Galeano in his book El futbol a soly sombra.

The main duty of a referee is to monitor the game and enforce fair play. Referees have the power to penalize players with yellow or red cards, to stop or terminate play due to risk factors, and to assess fouls and penalties.

The referees are also responsible for keeping time and providing a match report to the league officials.

Referees try to keep players safe. This means that if a player is injured or bleeding, a referee stops play and ensures that the player is removed or attended to on the field. This protects both the injured player and his teammates.                                                                                                                                            Here are the few reactions of keen followers of Nigerian football:

"This kind of performance by this umpire is below belt by every standard.The visual point was uploaded and reviewed by Football gladiators " Emeka Obi

"We are trying to rebuild our football and he wants to take us back". Tunde

"This is really example of a Nigerian referee who is giving a bad image to the arbiters. Adamu Ismail from Kano

WHERE IS THE NRA ?

This was a clear penalty. Mr Mike from Ogun State

Referee committee should please make a statement on this outing I beg. Kayode Jelili

We are watching 😎

The reports of the Match Commissioner in this scenario will help a great deal in unearthing the true position" Akinwale Bayo

Another member of Sports World Platform said:

The referee just exposed the underlying fears of change not fully coming to the NRA .. Subair Mohammed

"Let's wait for the outcome of the investigation "

The full list of the officials who handled the said match to be investigated in this regard is hereunder:

Match Day 7 Fixtures

Shooting Stars Vs Bendel Insurance   : 

CR - Nurudeen Abubakar (BA)

AR 1 - Sani Mohammed  (AD)

AR 2 - Aminu Adamu   (SK)

RR - Nkemka  Ugochukwu (AB)                                                                                                                                    

The sanity and sanctity of our League must be maintained with all vigour.