TheCable

Ibrahim Gusau, president of the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF), says he will ensure the usage of video assistant referee (VAR) in Nigerian leagues before the end of his tenure. 

Gusau spoke in a video shared on the official X account of the Nigerian Premier Football League (NPFL) on Thursday.

The NFF president said the federation will send some referees to Morocco for training on VAR operations.

He added that the trained referee will spend a few weeks in the north African country, and “they can learn more about VAR on the pitch”.

“Very soon, I want to assure you that we will start to see how we are going to use VAR in Nigeria. By January, we are going to send the first set of referees to Morocco for the training of VAR,” Gusau said.

“WAFU is also organising training, and we are trying to increase the number of Nigerian referees going for the training to a minimum of 10. After the training by WAFU, we want to send the referees to places where they can learn more about VAR on the pitch for a few weeks.

“I want to assure you that in the nearest future, we are going to try and see how we can start using VAR. I assure you that before the end of my tenure in 2026, we will start using VAR in Nigeria.”

VAR has been in use in leagues across Europe since 2016. The tool was also deplored for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. Morocco was the first African country to use VAR in its domestic league in 2019. Egypt and Zambia have also used the technology in their local matches.