No fewer than 44 Nigerian football referees are participating in the 2016/2017 FIFA Physical Fitness Test holding at the National Stadium, Abuja.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that 28 FIFA-graded referees and 16 ungraded ones are involved in the two-day test which began on Friday at the Package `B’ of the stadium.
The referees comprised those who officiate in regular, beach and futsal football.
One of the instructors at the programme, Emmanuel Imiere, told NAN that medical test, which was integral in the exercise, would be taken on Saturday.
“If a referee is not medically fit, he or she cannot take part in the fitness test because FIFA does not want a situation where an unfit referee goes to officiate in a game.
“It is only when a referee is certified to be medically fit that he or she can be allowed to participate. We don’t want people to risk their lives.
“The ones we can manage, we allow them to run; the ones we cannot manage, we don’t allow them to run.
“There are some medical cases that are terminal and there are some that you can treat using drug within the period before the fitness test,’’ he said.
According to Imiere, 11 of the referees are female out of whom seven are FIFA-badged while four are taking part as “invited referees”.
He disclosed that referees had failed medical tests in the past, saying that the Nigeria Referees Association (NRA) would not shield such persons in the current exercise.
He said that the fitness programme tagged `retention of status” would qualify referees to officiate in the 2016/2017 football season.
“This is not an upgrade; it is what we call `retention of status’; any referee that does not pass this test will not be listed to officiate as a FIFA referee next year.
“If you pass, you continue to officiate until when you are not able to pass again, then, you are dropped and replaced.’’