Match officials in the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) have confirmed the receipt of outstanding indemnities for games officiated earlier in the 2025/2026 season, easing growing concerns ahead of the resumption of the second stanza of the campaign.

 

Referees, match commissioners and referee assessors had been owed allowances spanning about 11 matchdays before the league went on its mid-season break in December 2025. Reports indicated that payments stalled after Matchday Eight, leaving several officials unpaid for weeks.

 

However, The Punch reports that some referees who handled fixtures during Matchdays Nine and Ten have now received their allowances, with assurances that all outstanding payments will be settled before the league resumes on Wednesday.

 

Officials who spoke on condition of anonymity disclosed that basic matchday indemnities range between ₦60,000 and ₦90,000, excluding hotel accommodation and transportation benefits.

 

“I have seen referees who officiated matches in week nine and week 10 make returns to the association, so the rest of us are also expecting,” one official told The Punch.

 

“The first set of people who received got paid on Wednesday, while some got theirs on Thursday. However, we don’t understand why the payments have stopped since then. Although we know everything won’t be credited at once, once the payments start, we hope it will be completed before the next stanza,” the official added.

 

In 2023, the NPFL and its partners approved a 30 per cent increase in indemnities for referees and match commissioners as part of reforms aimed at improving officiating standards. During the same period, prize money for league champions was increased from ₦100 million to ₦150 million and later to ₦200 million, while each of the 20 participating clubs began receiving ₦10 million per season.

 

Since the implementation of that agreement, the league’s partners have been responsible for the payment of match officials’ indemnities, a move intended to ensure timely and transparent