Relief At Last! NPFL Officials Finally Get Paid As League Set To Restart

Match officials in the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) have confirmed they have begun receiving unpaid indemnities for fixtures officiated earlier in the 2025/2026 season, bringing relief ahead of the restart of the league’s second phase.

Referees, match commissioners and assessors were owed allowances covering nearly 11 matchdays before the league went on its mid-season break in December 2025. Payments reportedly stalled after matchday eight, leaving many officials unpaid for several weeks.

However, reports indicate that officials who handled matches in matchdays nine and 10 have now been paid, with assurances that all outstanding allowances will be cleared before the league resumes on Wednesday.

Speaking anonymously, some officials disclosed that their standard matchday allowances range from ₦60,000 to ₦90,000, excluding accommodation and transportation benefits.

“I’ve seen colleagues who officiated in weeks nine and 10 receive their payments, so the rest of us are hopeful,” one official said. “Some were paid on Wednesday, others on Thursday. We don’t know why the process paused again, but now that it has started, we expect everything to be settled before the next stanza begins.”

In 2023, the NPFL and its partners approved a 30 per cent increase in indemnities for referees and match commissioners. Prize money for league winners was also raised 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 those reforms, the league’s partners have been responsible for the payment of match officials’ allowances.