Nigeria Football Mourns Referees Boss, Sani Zubairu

The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has announced the passing of Hon. Sani Zubairu, President of the Nigeria Football Referees Association (NFRA), who died in the early hours of Tuesday, March 24, 2026, after a brief illness.

Zubairu, a former FIFA referee, also served as Head of the Refereeing Unit of the NFF and Secretary of its Referees Committee.

NFF General Secretary, Dr. Mohammed Sanusi, expressed deep sorrow over the loss.

‘We are saddened to confirm the death of Hon. Sani Zubairu, the President of Nigeria Football Referees Association (NFRA) and Head of Refereeing Unit of the NFF. It is another period of mourning for Nigeria football, following the deaths of Chief Adegboye Onigbinde and Coach Henry Nwosu in the past couple of weeks,’ Sanusi said.

He described Zubairu as ‘a very diligent and astute worker’ who was admired for his humility and simplicity.

‘He served Nigeria meritoriously on the field and in the office, working assiduously to impact knowledge and raise new generations of referees that would make Nigeria proud at home and internationally.

‘The NFF and Nigeria football will miss him greatly. We pray that God will grant him eternal rest and also grant his immediate family, friends, relations, the NFF family and the NFRA the fortitude to bear the big loss,’ Sanusi added.

As a former FIFA referee, Zubairu was instrumental in driving courses and programmes aimed at improving the expertise of Nigerian referees. He worked tirelessly to build capacity among aspiring officials and nurture new generations of referees.

The NFF described him as dedicated, selfless, and highly focused on advancing the cause of refereeing in Nigeria.