Nigeria, April 26 -- As the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) enters a crucial phase of the 2024/2025 season, the league will pause briefly this weekend to pay tribute to one of Nigerian football's most respected figures, the late Tade Azeez.

Players and officials across all remaining Matchday 35 fixtures will observe a solemn 60 seconds of silence before kickoff, in honour of the former President of the Nigeria Referees Association (NRA), who passed away on Friday afternoon at 63 years following a brief, undisclosed illness.

Although one of the Matchday 35 games; Kano Pillars vs Rivers United had already been played before news of his passing broke, the league's governing body moved swiftly to honour his legacy.

"We have directed...