NPFL Prioritising VAR Over Goal-Line Technology – Owumi
The Chief Operating Officer (COO) of the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL), Davidson Owumi, has confirmed that the league body is prioritising the Video Assistant Referee over Goal-line technology.
Ahead of the 2025-26 season, The NPFL supremo said the organisation is aiming to improve the league by introducing the VAR, and Goal-Line Technology.
The Video Assistant Referee, and the Goal-line Technology have been in operation in Europe, and in major competitions for a few years.
Owumi maintained that the VAR is the first target because of its broader impact on the sport.
He said: “Goal-Line Technology only monitors scoring situations, while VAR assists in multiple aspects of the game including offsides, penalties, and red card decisions.
“So we are prioritising VAR over Goal-Line Technology, even though both remain out of reach at the moment.”
Owumi also hailed the NPFL board for the improvement after a successful 2024-25 season, which produced Remo Stars as champions for the first time.
He said: “Before this time, you see players for six months, even up to a year, they haven’t been paid.
“That has been greatly reduced by the board. I think that is done with the continued cooperation of everyone, we are getting to a stage where the welfare of the player will become a top priority for everyone involved.”
Similarly, The NPFL Board Chairman, Hon. Gbenga Elegbeleye, confirmed the date for the 2025-26 NPFL season.
He said: “For the first time in many years, perhaps since the start of the new era Nigeria Premier Football League in 2005, (20 years) that a date for kick-off and ending will be faithfully implemented. That is a commitment we made and a promise delivered.
“Today, we are also here to announce that the 2025/26 season will be commencing on August 22 and will be completed in May. 2026. This is to maintain a calendar we have now established from the last season. I’ll now give a summary of the statistics from the last season.”
Elegbeleye also showered encomiums on the Nigeria Premier Football League referees, describing them as among the best in the world.
He said: “I’ve travelled around the world and witnessed some shocking officiating decisions—something you hardly see in the NPFL.
“That’s why I can confidently say our referees are among the best globally.”
The 2025-26 NPFL season will kick off on 22 August 2025 and end on 24 May 2026.
NPFL Prioritising VAR Over Goal-Line Technology – Owumi is first published on The Whistler Newspaper
