Second stanza kicks off Feb. 14
Henceforth, any referee in the Nigeria National League (NNL) found wanting in the discharge of his duties will be expelled from the league, the NNL has ruled.

The second-tier league body has also agreed that the second stanza of the 2025/26 season will kick off on February 14 across the country.

Rising from its midseason retreat held in conjunction with NNL Club Chairmen at the auditorium of Beyond Limits FC, Ikenne, Ogun State, the league body reiterated its determination to make the NNL the best inter-club competition in the country, adding that it could only achieve that objective when all the stakeholders play by the rules.

Commending the proprietor of Beyond Limits FC, Kunle Soname, for the successful hosting of the retreat at his ultra-modern sports facility at the Remo Stars Stadium, Ikenne, Ogun State, as well as the president of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Ibrahim Musa Gusau, and his board for the unflinching support and continuous guidance to make the NNL the most important league in Nigeria, the NNL “condemned, in strong terms, the win-at-home-at-all-cost attitude of some clubs in the league, as well as the spate of harassment and intimidation of match officials.”

It described the standard of officiating in the first stanza of the 2025/2026 season as unacceptable and capable of bringing the league into disrepute, while threatening “outright expulsion of any referee in the league that compromises and fails to implement the laws of the game during matches.”

The retreat also reiterated its earlier intention of holding a Super Four competition at the end of the season to determine the overall winner of the league.

It reminded the club chairmen that “any of the four clubs that failed to participate shall automatically relinquish its promotion status to the club that came second on the table of such conference.”

The retreat also proposed the increase of prize money for the Super Four competition, while commending Betpawa for the prompt implementation of the Locker Room Bonus (LRB) in the first stanza of the 2025/2026 league season.

It also noted with delight the plan by Betpawa to further provide material support to the clubs.

In its communiqué after the retreat, it thanked its new partners, Toptier Sports Management Ltd (TSM), for signing an investment deal with the NNL, even as it charged the company to activate the deal ahead of the second stanza.

On crowd trouble during games, the communiqué said that the stakeholders agreed that any match venue that promotes hooliganism, harassment, and disruption of matches would be heavily penalised.

It added: “The retreat requested that Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) referees should be drafted to handle matches of the second stanza of the 2025/2026 season.  The retreat applauded the cordial relationship that exists between the NNL board and NALCOMA in the administration of the league, while advising that there has to be improvement in communication.”