ODION IGHALO AND HIS ASSERTION ON NIGERIAN REFEREES/LEAGUE

It has come to the open the interview granted few days ago, by the Nigerian international ODION IGHALO who recently plied his trade at al-hilal F.C

Asking to come back and play in the Nigeria Premier league is a great idea of yours and one that has been done by players of legendary status and which is a great booster for our burgeoning league. Great improvement has been seen on the part of the league management and we sure are having players with great talents express themselves.

The TV coverage is improving and we have not heard noise of salary being owed as the noise has decreased in the last 3 seasons. The emergence of teams like REMO STARS,BENDEL INSURANCE, SPORTING LAGOS, DOMA UNITED, VANDREZZER and quite a host of others and also the status of; ENYIMBA, RIVERS UNITED, SHOOTING STARS, KANO PILLARS and the others has made the Nigerian premier league a choice hub for investors, who are pumping money into making the Nigerian premier league a juggernaut amongst football leagues in the world.

The excitement for the fans, their maturity and dedication to watch their darling teams without rancour should also be applauded. prize money being won are a testament to the growth being experienced in the Nigerian premier league and it is something football enthusiast's In the country are proud of.

I personally feel it is a slap on the faces of the NIGERIAN FOOTBALL REFEREES ASSOCIATION for you as a proffesional footballer who has played in the best leagues in the world to say "If there are good referees". Are you saying there are no good Referees In Nigeria? Are you saying the referees in Nigeria are not brilliant or good with what they are trained for? You are a product of the Nigerian grassroots leagues, you grew up here and the better part of your youthful days were spent here before you were opportuned to play outsides the shores of Nigeria; are you just knowing of the incompetence of the NIGERIAN FOOTBALL REFEREES over a decade that you have played under any of them, or your status is the reason you feel there are no good Referees here?

People like you are meant to be ambassadors of NIGERIAN FOOTBALL, and the Referee association is one of the enablers of the league and one who works hand in hand with the league management to make it a success story. Your ego and "Big manly" attitude should not put down the efforts of Men and Women of the whistle, who irrespective of what comes, gives their best to uphold the laws of the game.

Have you as a footballer for once gone through the laws of the game and it's tenets? Have you taken your time to look at a decision of a referee, try to look at what the law says and compare to contrast, and see why the Referees makes a decision he made?

I think you are just trying to prove what you are not sir! You have played the game to the highest level and we respect your efforts for the National team. Let it remain like that as you give the referees their due diligence. You do not in anyway know better than the investors who are pumping money into the league, if you can not support Nigeria football with your platforms, then don't put us on the bad side of investors who are willing to make the league better.

At the moment, Nigeria has nothing less than 23 FIFA referees which is not a feat achieved by child's play. Referees are humans and it is difficult making a decision guided by 17 laws of the game in a split second ; you have had more seconds to make a decision and you have lost open goals and never had the referee body come forward to say you are not a good striker.

The decision for you to come play in the NIGERIAN FOOTBALL LEAGUE is one, the Nigerian football fan will greatly want to experience, but not in anyway will it make the football referees give you special recognition or protect you the way they shouldn't because you are the almighty ODION IGHALO.

We have at the moment football players who have had better career than yours, they have won everything there is to win and playing in their local leagues and you have not ever heard them complain about the referees of their country, I just don't know how different your own is because you played a paltry 12 matches at Manchester United and here we were celebrating you for a dream come true, while all you do is look down on Nigeria referees and it’s league body

Young players who also played in Europe and other parts of the world are in the country at the moment; they are making efforts the little way they can, giving back to the society and walking on foot to their local teams and base and only love has been shown to them.

Obafemi Martins still plays football and comes around to Lagos as often and noise has not been heard about his security or of the others. How will yours be different when you are not Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo?
BUKAYO SAKA, VICTOR OSIMHEN, TAIWO AWONIYI and a lot of their set are in the country and they are safe.

AHMED MUSA (Mon) is by far a better National team hero than you are; he came back to the country and played with Kano pillars, and never spoke ill of the referees body. RASHIDI YEKINI, came back to play for Gateway United and there was no issue. Why will yours be different?

This legends who have better records with the National team came back to play and have never complained about security. ex-internationals walk through sporting centres in Lagos and all other parts of the country and nothing happens them.
Don't sell us cheap to the outside world. Appreciate the efforts of everyone who is having a hand in the development of football in Nigeria and if you don't, please go somewhere else where you feel you can be safe.

ODION IGHALO please amend your ways if you have not been good to your fans or community,please don't make excuses. The Saudi Arabia league you are coming from does not have the talents the Nigeria Premier league has, and they don't even use referees of their country until recently. Never have you said anything about their officiating or the fact that none of the citizen were worthy of being appointed referees.

I am a football referee from Ogun state and I will defend my association as I will for footballers as an ex-footballer myself. We deserve respect!

ARIYIBI SAMUEL OPEOLUWA[color=#000099][/color]