Referees within the Nigeria Premier Soccer League will smile to the storage within the 2024/25 season, which starts on Saturday following the verdict of the NPFL board to boost their pay by means of 50 in line with cent, apart from being supplied with the newly obtained communications device, PUNCH Sports activities Remaining studies.
That is in fulfilment of the commitment of the league board chairman, Gbenga Elegbeleye, on the finish of extreme season.
President of the Nigeria Referees Affiliation, Sani Zubairu, showed on Tuesday that the referees are already in coaching forward of the graduation of the league on Saturday.
“We are in training already to get the referees used to the equipment. It will be used by all four referees for all the 380 matches of the NPFL, including the Federation Cup matches,” the NRA president advised PUNCH Sports activities Remaining.
“This will enhance the performance of our referees, as you cannot compare officials using gadgets with those that are not. So, we are still expecting more high-performance gadgets to be provided for our referees as time goes on.”
PUNCH Sports activities Remaining amassed that the referees’ coaching is completed in batches on the Federal Capital Space, Abuja.
In the meantime, for the second one month within the extreme past, the referees may also be getting larger fit indemnities.
“Motivation is key for referees, too, and the NFF has always promised to cater for the welfare of our referees,” Zubairu added.
One of the crucial elements that affect how a lot a referee earns within the NPFL is the space they safeguard, in line with a lead respectable of probably the most companions of the league.
“Their money is calculated by the distance they travel to their match venues. We spend close to 10m on match officials every match day. The least amount a ref can earn is N200,000 or N150,000 per match for transport and feeding,” the respectable stated.
“All the officials have their accommodations paid for 48 hours before they arrive at their match venue. As they take off, they get their money, and they know where they will lodge. We pay for accommodation straight to the hotel, while feeding and transport allowances are paid in cash before they leave for their match venues. Things have changed; it’s not like before.”
This was once the cost construction prior to the fresh increment, and the association understandably remainder.