The Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) is progressively moving towards the implementation of the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) system and is also in search of new broadcasting partners, with the potential for both to be established in the upcoming season following discussions at the clubs’ Annual General Meeting held on Monday.
A month after appointing certain referees for VAR training, the NPFL has instructed clubs to enhance their stadiums to comply with the necessary standards for VAR usage.
Representing the President of the Nigeria Football Federation, Ibrahim Gusau, NFF General Secretary Dr. Mohammed Sanusi indicated the forthcoming introduction of this technology.
”The NFF is pleased with the league’s scheduling discipline from the previous season, and in that regard, we have already dispatched some referees to Morocco for VAR training as we progress towards its eventual adoption in the NPFL,” Sanusi stated.
NPFL Chairman, Gbenga Elegbeleye, also emphasized the league’s efforts to implement VAR.
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”As you heard from Dr. Sanusi in his address, we are likely to introduce VAR this season, and we are eagerly anticipating that. I am aware that we have selected some referees for training in Morocco to familiarize themselves with the operation of the VAR equipment,” Elegbeleye remarked.
With over two years into the current N6 billion broadcasting agreement with StarTimes, Elegbeleye also mentioned that the league is open to collaborating with other broadcasting partners.
”In this new season, we are discussing broadcasting options; we had StarTimes, but it is unlikely we will continue with them this time. Most probably, we are exploring other alternatives, so you should anticipate that.
”AfroSports is among those we are negotiating with to determine if the arrangements will meet our broadcasting needs.” The 2025/26 season is set to commence on August 22, with the initial fixtures already announced.
