The Nigeria Premier Football League has summoned Sporting Lagos head coach Jeffrey Buter to a disciplinary-panel hearing after he alleged collusion over the officiating of his side’s goalless draw with Ikorodu City.
The league said Buter must substantiate an allegation that NPFL management and the Nigeria Referees Association sought to influence the result of the match. In a statement posted to its official X account on Monday, the NPFL said he had been asked to bring evidence and was due before a panel on Wednesday at the NPFL meeting room.
The summons follows public comments in which Buter challenged both the conduct and standard of refereeing in the league. He said Sporting Lagos had received poor officiating in consecutive matches and had already been warned over his complaints. “The referees are bringing the league to disrepute and not me,” he said, adding that the league would not progress unless the issue was addressed.
The panel is expected to decide whether the remarks breached NPFL regulations and whether disciplinary sanctions are warranted. The league has maintained that coaches, players and club officials should pursue officiating complaints through administrative procedures rather than public criticism.
The NPFL has also warned EuroMatch-NPFL clubs over disparaging statements about the competition and its match officials. A memo issued by Chief Operating Officer Ayo Abdulrahman cited Appendix B, Rule 7 and Section A, Rule 5.5.2 of the 2026/27 framework and rules, which prohibit public criticism and disparaging statements by players, coaches and club officials.
The memo referred separately to a video interview involving Buter after Sporting Lagos’s Matchday 6 match against Barau FC, in which he was said to have questioned the integrity of the centre referee. Abdulrahman said official channels were available for grievances and warned that further breaches would draw disciplinary action.
Sporting Lagos had two wins, two defeats and four draws from its opening eight league matches, according to Premium Times. The NPFL’s framework identifies the league as the body licensed to manage Nigeria’s premier professional competition and includes disciplinary provisions and a code of conduct for managers and coaches.
