Ahmed Musa Slams NPFL Officiating, Calls for Reforms After Pillars' Loss to Nasarawa Utd

By Muzammil Dalha Yola

Nigerian national team captain, Ahmed Musa OON, has strongly criticized the officiating in the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) Matchday 9 fixture between Nasarawa United and Kano Pillars. Musa labeled the officials as "moral killers" due to their handling of the game at the Lafia City Stadium.

The officiating team, led by center referee Dahiru Muhammed Kawo and assistant referee Abdulmajid Sani Potiskum, made several avoidable errors. These included allowing a contentious goal by Nasarawa United, where two players appeared to be offside, and failing to maintain a consistent game flow.

Musa expressed his disappointment to newsmen after the game, emphasizing that such officiating lapses demoralize players and undermine the league's credibility. The Nigerian football legend recently returned to Kano Pillars, his boyhood club, along with Shehu Abdullahi, aiming to contribute to domestic football.

However, Musa now questions his decision due to questionable officiating. "I've praised the officiating progress in the league until now, but this matchday 9 performance makes me wonder if returning to the NPFL was right," Musa said.

To foster the league's growth, Musa advocates for overhauling officiating standards. "For the league to improve, we must address officiating quality. Officials must not diminish players' morale and effort." He warned that poor officiating would deter fellow Super Eagles players from joining the NPFL.

Musa urged the NPFL management to take disciplinary action against officials sabotaging the league's progress. "Enforcing accountability will deter similar conduct," he added.

Kano Pillars Technical Adviser Usman Abdallah echoed Musa's sentiments, calling for decisive actions against officials damaging the league's image. Abdallah also questioned the lack of live broadcast of the match by StarTimes, the league's broadcast partner as earlier announced. "With such officiating, the NPFL will struggle to progress," Abdallah concluded.

Kano Pillars lost 1-0 and will face Plateau United in Matchday 10.

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