'Alhamdulillah, it ended successfully' - Nigerian referee Adeyemi celebrates ‘dubious’ officiating on Facebook

Nigerian referee Qudus Adeyemi Adebayo has found himself at the centre of a storm following his controversial officiating in the important NNL derby between Sporting Lagos and Gateway United.

The match, which ended 2-1 in favour of Gateway United, was marred by a series of questionable decisions that have sparked outrage among fans, players, and officials.

Adebayo’s performance drew immediate criticism after he awarded Gateway United a dubious penalty to level the score at 1-1, despite replays and eyewitnesses insisting there was no foul.

The controversy deepened when he disallowed what has been described as the most legitimate goal of the weekend, even as his assistant referee signalled for a goal by turning towards the centre line.

To make matters worse, Adebayo issued a yellow card to Sporting Lagos striker Seun for scoring, and later handed him a second yellow and a red card for another goal that was also controversially ruled offside.

One Sporting Lagos official voiced the frustration felt by many:

“One of our players was shown two yellow cards for scoring two separate goals that were deemed offside. The first goal was scored, then the whistle came and a yellow card was shown. The second goal, the whistle came while the shot was in motion. Neither goal was offside. I have never seen a player carded for scoring a goal before the whistle was blown.”

The sense of injustice was compounded when Adebayo took to Facebook to celebrate the result after Gateway United scored the winning goal.

His post read:

“ALHAMDULILLAH IT ENDED SUCCESSFULLY 2-1 IN FAVOUR OF GATEWAY..... THANKS EVERYONE FOR YOUR SUPPORT.”

The referee’s public celebration of the controversial outcome has only intensified calls for an investigation, with many in the Nigerian football community demanding accountability and greater transparency in officiating.

The NNL and Nigerian Football Federation are under pressure to address the incident and restore confidence in the integrity of the game as the fallout from the game continues.