The Referees’ Committee of the Nigeria Football
Federation (NFF) has said that it would henceforth specify
hospitals where referees would undergo their medical
tests.
The committee’s Chairman, Suleiman Mu’azu said that the
decision was meant to check the issuance of fake medical
certificates.
Mu’azu was speaking against the backdrop of the death of
a Lagos-based referee, Osita Nwadiashi, during the 2013
fitness test held in Abuja from November 4 to November
8.
``What we are going to do now is to designate at least one
hospital in each state.
``For instance, here in Abuja, the National Hospital; in
Kaduna, you say the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU)
Teaching Hospital, so that everyone that is going to have
his medical test will do it in that hospital.
``We are collaborating once more with the NFF's Medical
Committee to ensure that we get the best of medical
services offered to our members.
Mu’azu said although the committee together with NFF's
Medical Committee had endeavoured to ascertain
referees’ state of health, he noted that the existing
measures were not enough.
He said that the committee usually carried out the fitness
test for the FIFA-badged referees but did little in handling
the test for the local referees in view of their large
number.
Mu’azu said the medical test was more comprehensive
than the fitness test, adding that the existing requirement
was an improvement over the previous one.
``For the FIFA referees, we bring them to Abuja and carry
them to the Villa clinic to carry out all the necessary tests
(because) they are about 20.
``But for the National physical fitness test that involves
Premier League referees and the National League
referees, about 800, the number is too large for us to
bring to Abuja at a time.
``So, we directed that the sample form that was
recommended to us by the NFF medical committee be sent
to all the referees’ councils in the state; you go and see a
qualified doctor to do all the necessary tests.
``The medical doctor that tested you must put his name,
license number, telephone number and his hospital.
It would be recalled that the head of the committee’s
Medical Unit, Ephraim Chukwuemeka, had alleged that the
late Nwadiashi presented a fake medical certificate
during the fitness test.
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