Admin I Tuesday, August 18, 2026
ABUJA — The Nigerian football officiating community was thrown into deep mourning following the tragic death of Plateau State referee, Aweng Solomon Maram, who collapsed and died during a routine pre-season fitness assessment in Abuja.
The harrowing incident occurred at the MKO Abiola National Stadium, where match officials from across the country had gathered for the mandatory physical fitness test organized by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) Referees Development Unit and the Nigeria Referees Association (NRA) ahead of the 2026/2027 Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) season.
According to witnesses present at the stadium’s training grounds, Maram was participating in the grueling high-intensity running drills—commonly referred to as the Cooper test—when he suddenly collapsed on the track. Efforts were made to administer emergency resuscitation on site before he was rushed to a nearby medical facility, where he was tragically pronounced dead shortly after.
Confirming the devastating loss in a formal obituary statement, the Plateau State Referees Council (PSRC) described Maram’s sudden departure as an irreplaceable loss to the state’s footballing fraternity and the national refereeing family.
”It is with a heavy heart and deep sorrow that we announce the passing of our colleague and brother, Aweng Solomon Maram, who left us while in active service to the game he loved,” the PSRC statement read. ”
His death is a monumental blow to the Plateau State Referees Council, his friends, colleagues, and loved ones. We pray that Almighty God grants his soul eternal rest and gives his family the fortitude to bear this painful loss.”
Background and Recurrent Football Tragedies
The tragedy highlights the physical demands placed on football match officials and reopens long-standing concerns regarding medical safety protocols during high-intensity athletic trials in Nigeria.
Under international directives set by FIFA and the Confederation of African Football (CAF), all prospective match officials must undergo rigorous high-intensity interval training (HIIT) sprints and stamina laps to guarantee they can keep pace with professional action.
These mandatory pre-season evaluations are designed to test cardiovascular endurance and physical readiness before officials are assigned NPFL matches.
However, Maram’s demise is tragically not an isolated incident in Nigerian domestic football history. Over the years, the annual physical fitness assessments conducted at the National Stadium in Abuja have witnessed similar fatal collapses, raising periodic debates over cardiovascular screening procedures.
In September 2010, the national sports community was rocked when two referees—Oyetola Olatunde of the Oyo State Referees Council and Faloye Matthew of the Ogun State Referees Council—slumped and died during a pre-season Cooper test at the same Abuja stadium complex.
Similarly, in November 2013, another veteran match official, A. Osita from the Lagos State Referees Society, collapsed during a national fitness run on the stadium’s practice pitch and died shortly after arriving at the Abuja National Hospital.
These past incidents triggered calls for stricter pre-test health screenings, including mandatory Electrocardiogram (ECG) certifications and comprehensive cardiac evaluations prior to allowed entry onto the track.
While the NFF and NRA have repeatedly reinforced regulations requiring officials to present certified medical fitness clearance, questions often re-emerge regarding the immediate availability of advanced life-support ambulances and specialized paramedic teams stationed trackside during high-risk physical trials.
As messages of condolence continue to pour in from sports administrator networks, state referee councils, and NPFL stakeholders, the Plateau State Referees Council stated that further details regarding Maram’s burial arrangements will be communicated to the public following consultations with his immediate family.
