NPFL referees worry over unpaid fees

Match officials in the Nigeria Premier Football League are facing new worries about unpaid fees and other welfare issues. This comes after recent changes in Nigerian football management, The PUNCH reports.

The referees are concerned about unpaid fees from the 2025/26 season. This includes fees for NPFL matches and the President Federation Cup. These worries surfaced just before the new season started.

But their chances of getting paid seem to be fading. This is due to the interim leadership of the Nigeria Football Federation removing the NPFL board. This decision is part of the ongoing reforms in Nigerian football.

Now, match officials are unsure who will handle their unpaid fees and other issues raised before these changes took place. This is the second time this year that referees have complained about unpaid match fees. Earlier in January, The PUNCH reported that referees, match commissioners, and referee assessors were owed payments for about 11 matchdays. Some of these payments were later made.

The basic fees for officials per matchday range from N60,000 to N90,000. This does not include hotel and transport allowances.

Another issue before the new season is a reported demand for N50,000 from each referee for uniforms. The deadline for this fee is the end of August. The officials also accused the league’s Referees Committee of unfairly dropping some referees while keeping others they believe should not be there.

“So the victimisation continued in the NRA? Nigeria league is starting this weekend, and they asked all referees to pay N50,000, fifty thousand naira, each for a uniform, with a deadline of the end of August.”

“And these referees were not paid for last season’s matches,” the officials said in a statement obtained by our correspondent.

“How will the ref committee remove a referee from the NPFL for being in the league for long, even when he hasn’t reached 45 years? Isn’t that wickedness? So long as the ref can run and pass fitness, why remove him by force on the grounds of the number of years spent in the league? Is it a crime to stay long, remain fit, and do well in the Nigerian league as a referee?

“Why are we so wicked to our system? Many referees cannot write, yet you allow them and remove those who have been consistent for years through discipline and hard work. Is this how to reward hard work in the Nigerian league?”

Our correspondent checked with some referees and found that they are still waiting for payments from matchday 26 of last season.

Kelechi Mejuobi, the acting President of the Nigeria Referees Association, refused to comment on the unpaid fees. He insisted that the league body should clarify its position.

“NRA cannot talk until you hear from the NPFL. They are the league organisers,” Mejuobi told The PUNCH.

The NPFL had claimed that all outstanding referees’ fees had been paid. However, referees continue to deny this. The recent changes have added more doubts about the payment status for these officials.

The changes came just as the NPFL kicked off a new season. This season is under a three-year title sponsorship deal with Poland-based investment group EuroMatch, worth $7.5 million. The deal, announced before the 2026/27 season, is valued at $2.5 million each year. Sixty percent of the yearly sponsorship proceeds, which is about $1.5 million, will go to the league’s 20 clubs.