Renown football stakeholder and Remo Stars’ owner, Mr. Kunle Soname, has voiced serious concerns over poor officiating in the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL), describing it as a systemic failure that continues to undermine the credibility and integrity of Nigerian football at both continental and global space.

Speaking yesterday at his Remo Stars facilities in Ikenne, Ogun State, Soname said he was addressing the issue as a stakeholder rather than a club owner, warning that the persistent refereeing problems pose a major threat to the growth and future of Nigerian football if left unresolved.

“I am not here today as the owner of a club but as a stakeholder deeply interested in the credibility and future of our game,” Soname said. “Nigerian football is bigger than all of us. But because we love it, we must have the courage to speak when something is fundamentally wrong.”


At the centre of his criticism is the prolonged absence of Nigerian referees from major continental competitions. According to Soname, no Nigerian referee has officiated at the Africa Cup of Nations(AFCON) in the last 17 years, a situation he described as both embarrassing and revealing.

“For 17 years, not a single Nigerian referee has been selected for AFCON, while officials from smaller footballing nations continue to get these opportunities,” he said. “The uncomfortable truth is clear: the standard of officiating in our domestic league is fundamentally compromised.”

Soname argued that questionable decisions in the NPFL go beyond human error and have become a recurring pattern that erodes trust in the league. He cited several video-documented incidents to support his claims, insisting the problem is widespread and not targeted at any single club.

“This is not about isolated mistakes,” he said. “It is a pattern that threatens the integrity of the NPFL.”

Among the examples he referenced were two clear penalties denied in a single match involving Remo Stars, as well as a foul on a Remo Stars player that was ignored and directly resulted in a goal for the opposition. He also cited a controversial decision in a match between Rangers International and Rivers United, where a legitimate Rangers goal was wrongly disallowed.

“I deliberately mention Rangers and Rivers United to show that this issue is league-wide, not club-specific,” Soname explained. “These are not 50-50 calls. They are blatant errors, captured on video, that directly change match outcomes.”


Soname further accused the Referees’ Appointment Committee of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) of failing in its oversight responsibilities, alleging that the body has instead become complicit in sustaining the crisis.

“The committee has a duty to sanction poor performances and reward excellence,” he said. “But the evidence suggests it is enabling this problem rather than solving it.”

He referenced a specific incident involving Insurance FC of Benin, where a clear foul in the penalty area went unpunished. According to Soname, the committee’s explanation for the decision raised further concerns.


“The justification given was that ‘the attacker was in a hot chase and that no offence was committed’, that explanation does not withstand scrutiny.”

Soname further questioned the circumstances surrounding the match, noting that the officiating team was changed just two days before kickoff and that the committee chairperson, Mrs Faith Irabor, had previously served as a director at the Edo State Sports Commission.

“When officiating teams are changed at the last minute and the committee vigorously defends indefensible decisions, serious questions must be asked,” he said.

In another instance, Soname said the committee cited the absence of a pre-season seminar to excuse a clearly incorrect decision, describing the explanation as an admission of deeper structural failure.

“That is not an excuse,” he said. “It is an acknowledgement that the system itself is broken.”

According to Soname, the failure to hold referees accountable for repeated poor performances has emboldened incompetence and damaged the league’s credibility.

“By providing implausible cover for clear errors, the committee is aiding and abetting the disease destroying our football’s integrity,” he said.

He challenged the NFF and league administrators to confront key questions surrounding referee training, assessment and accountability, warning that football cannot thrive without fairness.

“Players train, clubs invest, and fans believe on the assumption that matches are decided by skill, not by error or bias,” Soname said.

As part of the solution, Soname called for urgent reforms, including the establishment of an independent review committee to assess officiating performances weekly.

“A committee should be set up by the NFF to review all 10 NPFL matches every week,” he said. “There should be a Best Referee of the Week, while bad or corrupt officials must be punished.”

He also demanded a complete overhaul of the Referees’ Appointment Committee, insisting that Nigerian football can only progress with transparent, competent and integrity-driven officiating structures.

“There is an urgent and non-negotiable need for a total overhaul of the Referees’ Appointment Committee,” Soname said. “Nigerian football deserves better. Our players deserve fairness, our fans deserve honesty, and our league deserves integrity.”