Folusho Ajayi
| Other occupation | Sport | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic | |||
| Years | League | Role | |
| 2014 - present | NPFL | Referee | |
Folusho Ajayi is a Nigerian association football referee. A FIFA badge referee since January 2015,[1] Ajayi has officiated in Nigeria Premier League, Nigeria Women Premier League, Africa Women Cup of Nations qualifiers[2] and FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup qualifying games.[3][4]
Described as being controversial by the media, she controversially blew her whistle for halftime when the ball was in motion towards the net of the home team, Kano Pillars after a free-kick was taken during the opening game of the 2017 Nigeria Professional Football League. The game was abandoned by Ifeanyi Ubah F.C. at the Sani Abacha Stadium.[5] Wale Ajayi of Africanfootball.com explains that even though she played by the rules, she made a lot of wrong calls during the game and shouldn't have spent time building a wall for the free-kick to be taken if she was going to end the game immediately.[6] The unsatisfactory nature of the game led to sanctions for IUFC and the league board recommending her suspension to the Nigeria Referees Association from premier league matches, however the NRA issued a vote of confidence to her decisions in the game.[7][8][9] After matchday one, she was left out of officiating NPFL games during match day two and three but returned to ref the matchday four encounter between Gombe United F.C. and Plateau United F.C.[10] In 2016 Nigeria Professional Football League, two of the games she officiated was abandoned with one of the games attributed to being instrumental in the relegation of Heartland F.C.[5]
In June 2016, she officiated the matchday 24 encounter between Enugu Rangers and Warri Wolves. She was praised for her control of the game, described as "impeccable" by both the winning and losing teams.[11]
List of games officiated[edit]
 |
| ! Date | Venue | Home | Away | Result | Competition | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 January 2017 | Gombe United F.C. | Plateau United F.C. | 0 – 0 |
2017 Nigeria Professional Football League | issued 3 yellow cards | |
| 14 January 2017 | Sani Abacha Stadium | Kano Pillars F.C. | Ifeanyi Ubah F.C. | 1 – 0 |
2017 Nigeria Professional Football League | match abandoned at 60th minute |
| 10 May 2017 | Legacy Pitch, National Stadium | FC Robo | Sunshine Queens F.C. | 3 – 1 |
2017 Nigeria Women Premier League | |
| 28 July 2016[12] | Lekan Salami Stadium (neutral) | Rivers United F.C. | Enyimba F.C. | 0 – 1 |
Nigeria Federation Cup | match abandoned |
| 2 October 2016[13][14] | Rwang Pam Stadium | Plateau United F.C. | Heartland F.C. | 1 – 1 |
2016 Nigeria Professional Football League | match abandoned at 75th minute[15] |
References[edit]
- ^ admin (2015). "NFF Presents Badges To 28 FIFA Referees, As CAF Names Oyeyode For 2015 AYC Duty". Africa Independent Television.
- ^ admin (2016). "Falcons set to fly over Lionesses". vanguardngr.com.
- ^ "Who Is Referee Folusho Ajayi?".
- ^ admin (October 2, 2015). "CAF picks Nigerian women referees for FIFA U-20 Qualifier". News Express.
- ^ a b Aliyu, Kwaifa (January 21, 2017). "Rising objections against female referees in NPFL". Media Trust. Archived from the original on January 23, 2017. Retrieved May 11, 2017.
- ^ Ajayi, Wale (2017). "WAS CONTROVERSIAL REF FOLUSHO AJAYI TO BLAME FOR DISGRACEFUL NPFL OPENER?". africanfootball.com.
- ^ admin (2017). "Reactions Trail LMC's Decision Against FC Ifeanyi Uba".
- ^ admin (2017). "LMC Asks Referees Committee To Remove Folusho Ajayi From All NPFL Games". saharareporterssport.com.
- ^ admin (2017). "NRA PRESIDENT DEFENDS REFEREE AJAYI OVER ABANDONED KANO PILLARS-IFEANYI UBA MATCH". savidnews.com.
- ^ Edward, Johnny (2017). "Referee Ajayi Returns In NPFL Matchday-4". Complete Sports.
- ^ Egene, Obehi (June 25, 2016). "NPFL: Referee Ajayi Folusho Delights All In Enugu".[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Federation Cup: Rivers United Abandon Game Vs Enyimba, Cite Poor Officiating". Complete Sports Nigeria. 2016.
- ^ "Investigation: Why FC Ifeanyi Ubah abandoned NPFL opener". 2016.
- ^ "Heartland's Captain says referee forced team to abandon match". Vanguard Newspaper. 2016.
- ^ Oni, Kolade (2016). "Heartland to appeal LMC's decision on Plateau United tie". Goal.com.