There Is No Professional League In Nigeria 

Perrier Plantain is a Cameroonian and FIBA-graded referee officiating in the DSTV-sponsored Nigerian Premier League. In this interview, he talks about what brought him to Nigeria, his working experience and his thoughts on the state of the game in the country

As a staff in the aviation industrywhat inspired you to become a basketball referee in the Nigerian Basketball League?

I was actually an active player in Cameroon before an ankle injury prematurely ended my basketball playing career. That was when I decided to become a referee after considering what one of my coaches once told me, ‘you can’t play a game without knowing the rules’. I took it up from there and in May 2004, I got my FIBA rating and became a licensed referee by the world basketball ruling body.

Initially, I didn’t come to Nigeria to work as a referee because then basketball was my second passion after aviation where I worked for some years. But having stayed in Nigeria for three years, when I got an offer from the Nigeria Basketball Federation, NBBF, to work with them, I came back last December.

With over seven years experience as a FIBA- licensed referee, what would you describe as the stiffest challenge for you so far?

It was when I officiated in my first major basketball tournament at the African Cup of Nations in Libya 2009. It was so challenging that I almost quitted refereeing afterwards.

How would you assess the Nigerian league on the backdrop of what obtains in your home country, Cameroon?

Well, the difference is that basketball officiating in Nigeria can’t be considered as a profession because there’s no professional league in Nigeria yet. Unlike what obtains in Cameroon. So it is a part time job or more of passion thing here in Nigeria. Besides, Cameroon has a reputation of producing good referees that are called upon to officiate at international basketball championships unlike Nigeria that barely present a couple of referees for African tourneys.

So many Nigerian coaches and players have been blaming their defeats in matches this season on bad officiating by referees. What is your take on this as a referee in the league?

That cannot be true. I am not saying referees have not be making wrong calls but those calls are so minimal to determine the outcomes of matches. The fact is that most players in the DSTV league don’t know the basic rules that govern basketball. This makes referees’ job very difficult as one has to explain virtually every call one makes.

If one compares the level of officiating in Nigeria now to some years back, you will realise that it has really picked up.

Are you of the opinion that the DSTV League is nothing to write home about?

No. The issue is that there is still a lot to be done in terms of organisation and educating the coaches and players in the league. When this is done, the job of the officials (referees, match commissioners and statisticians) will become easier as they will be dealing with knowledgeable coaches and players.

—Bamidele Olowosagba