Nigerian Football
Hammer Falls on Clubs, Players in Bet9ja League
Bet9ja Nigeria National League campaigners, Yobe Desert Stars, Osun United and UNICEM Rovers of Calabar will play their next three home matches in the league under strict closed doors for assaults on match officials and crowd encroachment.
The Bet9ja National League is the second tier of club football in Nigeria.
The three teams are also to pay fines for various degrees of offences and violation of the league’s rule book.
Official report indicted UNICEM Rovers of Calabar for assault on match officials that handled their match day nineteen encounter with Warri Wolves at the U.J Esuene Stadium, Calabar.
The officials received bodily harm of different proportion following the attack by the supporters of the UNICEM Rovers during and after the match.
UNICEM are to also pay N1, 000,000.00 (one million naira) for violating Article 27 on misconduct and N750, 000.00 (Seven hundred and Fifty thousand naira) for the treatment of the match officials.
Jimmy Okotu Assistant secretary of UNICEM Rovers has been handed an indefinite suspension and is to stay away from all NNL matches pending a scheduled compliance with the unit in the NNL.
Another official, Ushie was charged for complicit act that led to the heartless beating of the Match officials while Okotu reportedly slapped the centre referee and led a group of fans of UNICEM Rovers to assault the match officials.
UNICEM Rovers are also to pay N137, 500 being the estimated cost of items reportedly damaged and lost by the match officials in the process of assault on them.
The sum of N1, 887, 500.00 (One million, eight hundred and eighty seven thousand, five hundred, is to be paid to the league body by UNICEM Rovers for violations of rules and regulations.
Yobe Desert Stars of Damaturu aside playing their next three home matches without their fans are to also pay the sum of N2, 000.000.00 ( Two million naira) for assault on match officials and encroachment, for contravening other sections of the league rules in their match day sixteen with Abuja based FRSC at the August 27 Stadium in Damaturu.
It was also reported that Supporters of Yobe encroached into the field of play descending on the match officials and throwing various objects at them, and equally stated that the fans of Yobe celebrated the only goal of the game on the pitch while holding the Game up.
The report further stated that Yobe fans prevented match officials from entering the dressing room at half time.
In the summary jurisdiction Osun United, UNICEM Rovers and Yobe Desert Stars have been given one week by the NNL management to identify and produce the assailants.
Osun United duo of Victor Okeji and Obasi Chigozie summarily has been placed on a year ban for assaulting the centre referee after their match day nineteen (19) at the Osun Township Stadium, Oshogbo.
Osun United are to equally pay the sum of N1million for assault on the referees in accordance with article 26 and 27 of the League rules.
Official report confirms that supporters of Osun United ran into the field and assaulted the match officials.
The officials were held hostage for over twenty minutes in the field of play before entering the dressing room
The football associations in Cross River, Osun and Yobe States were charged by the NNL to face its responsibilities squarely.
Victor Okeji and Obasi Chigozie are mandated to appear before the Compliance Unit of the NNL on Monday.
The miserable run of Akwa United and Ikorodu City came to an end after six games in the Nigerian Premier League this season. Both teams were initially glued at the bottom of the league table.
They now got respite as Akwa United beat Kano Pillar by 2-0 while Ikorodu City even did what could be considered an upset, beating Bendel Insurance 3-0.
Remo Stars bounced back to the top of the log after a 3-0 defeat of Nasarawa United. Shooting Stars are yet to get their rhythm this season, playing a barren draw with Enyimba in Ibadan.
Kwara United who got their first full points of the season last week after a 1-0 defeat of Remo Stars could not consolidate as they were beaten 1-0 by Abia Warriors.
Heartland under Emmanuel Amuneke are gradually recovering as they got a valuable away draw against El-Kanemi Warriors.
BY KUNLE SOLAJA.
It is 75 years since Nigeria’s national football team first played an international match. That was on 8 October 1949 when the first set of Nigeria’s assembly on their return voyage stopped over in Freetown and engaged Sierra Leone in an international football match. Nigeria won 2-0, setting a chain of positive results on 8 October.
The country never lost any competitive duel on that date. More significantly, the Super Eagles first qualified for the World Cup on an 8 October date.
That was in 1993 when they were held to a 1-1 draw by Algeria in the quest for USA ‘94 World Cup.
Nigeria became the first English-speaking African country to qualify for the World Cup. Another significance of the October 8 match at the July 5 Stadium, Algiers is that Nigeria were unbeaten for the first time by Algeria at home.
The only deviation from the 8 October Magic was in 2015 when Nigeria lost 2-0 to Congo in a friendly match.
Twenty-six years after Nigeria’s debut international match, one of Africa’s biggest football nations, Egypt fell to the October 8 magic, losing 4-0 to Nigeria in the last stage of the triangular World Cup qualifying series for Argentina ’78.
Up till October 15, 2013, when Ghana beat Egypt 6-1 in Kumasi, the October 8, 1977 duel with Nigeria remained Egypt’s biggest loss in a World Cup qualifying match.
Before the 1977 duel, Nigeria in 1963 played a friendly match with Liberia in Monrovia. The October 8 magic was active, even in an away match. Nigeria drew 2-2 in their very first encounter with Liberia. It was shortly after the team had, through a protest, upturned a victory by Guinea to pick Nigeria’s very first African Nations’ Cup ticket.
Little wonder then that when FIFA suspended Nigeria in 2010, the world governing body provisionally lifted the ban on October 8!
Nigeria on 8 October
- 1949 – Freetown (Friendly) Sierra Leone 0-2 Nigeria
- 1963 – Monrovia (Friendly) Liberia 2-2 Nigeria
- 1977 – Lagos (World Cup qualifier) Nigeria 4-0 Egypt
- 1993 – Algiers (World Cup qualifier) Algeria 1-1 Nigeria… qualify for USA ‘94.
- 2005 – Abuja (World Cup qualifier) Nigeria 5-1 Zimbabwe
- 2010 – FIFA, in apparent respect to the 8 October magic, provisionally lifted a ban imposed on Nigeria.
- 2011 – Abuja (African Nations Cup qualifier) Nigeria 2-2 Guinea. Although undefeated, Nigeria failed to make it to the 2012 African Nations Cup.
- 2015 – D.R. Congo beat Nigeria 2-0 in Visé, Belgium. The ‘October 8 Magic’ is finally broken.
Rivers United have launched themselves to the top of the log at the end of the match day 5 of the Nigeria Premier League. The Port Harcourt side beat Akwa United 2-1 to go afloat after initial leaders, Remo Stars crumbled to a 1-0 defeat at Kwara United in Ilorin on Sunday.
It was Remo Stars’ first defeat in the season. Rivers United are now with 13 points. Stephen Mayo put Rivers United ahead after 31 minutes. But it turned a temporary lead as Akwa United bounced back almost at the blast of the referee’s whistle for the second half.
Friday Apollos levelled up for Akwa United before Ndifreke Effiong Udo scored the winner in the 85th minute.
Sunday Results
- Kwara United 1-0 Remo Stars
- Rangers International 1-0 Abia Warriors
- Heartland FC 2-0 Niger Tornadoes
- Kano Pillars 2-0 Sunshine Stars
- Plateau United 1-0 Ikorodu City
- Rivers United 2-1 Akwa United
- Enyimba 3-0 Katsina United* Suspended
- Nasarawa 0-0 Bayelsa United
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