The NFA is at the centre of a row over the appointment of referees

The row has erupted between the organisers of the competition, the Nigeria Football League (NFL), and the Nigeria Football Association (NFA).

Nigerian league club owners have voted unanimously that the start of the league be suspended indefinitely until the NFL is allowed to pick referees for the matches it organises.

"The chairman of the club owners association, Davidson Owumi, has called to let us know that they resolved after a meeting Wednesday to suspend the league kick-off indefinitely until the issue of referees' appointment is resolved," said NFL chairman Oyuki Obaseki.

Officials said 48 members of the 52-member association agreed to boycott the league until the NFL is allowed to name referees for league matches.

Ranchers Bees FC chairman, Abdulazeez Mohammed, said: "The NFA cannot be the organisers as well as the arbiters of a competition because it's not done anywhere in the world.

"We're not disputing the fact that they are recognised by Fifa as the highest soccer body in Nigeria and therefore empowered by Fifa to appoint referees but it is certainly not their responsibility to assign these referees for the matches the NFL organises.

"Moreover, the NFA are not the ones paying the referees, so they don't have any right to dictate to them how the league is run as regards appointments of referees."

The Nigerian premier league was slated to kick off on Saturday in Benin state with host team Insurance hosting Heartland FC of Owerri while nine other matches will be played Sunday across the country.