As the new Board of Nigeria Football Federation emerged on Thursday through a free and fair elections with a mandate to improve the image of Nigerian Football leagues and grassroots football development to attract more sponsors, the incidence that happened on Friday in Abeokua where players and officials of Oluyole Warriors were denied entry into the pitch of MKO Abiola Stadium where Gateway FC are hosting Shooting Stars on Saturday Abeokuta might put the nation football backward if the perpetrators are not brought to book.
The rules of the game is simple and in line with global best practices that an away team must be allowed to feel the pitch 24hrs before the match and the report of the compromise were reported to the League Followers supported by visual point by the Ex International, and Team Manager of Oluyole Warriors, Mr Dimeji Lawal
Here is the comment made by one of the officials of Oluyole Warriors,the team Psychologist, Mrs Olayinka Lawson
“We visited the stadium and we are not allowed in,all the gates leading to the mainbow have been locked”
Well, we have on this Naija made platform, Sports World, the Honourable Commissioner of Sports in Ogun State, Honourable Afolabi Afuape the Commissioner of Sports in Oyo State, Barrister Abayomi Oke ,The Chairman Bet9Ja National League, Mr Chidi Ofor Okenwa, The CEO of Bet9ja National League, Honourable Bukola Olopade ,The Chairman ,Shooting Stars Football Club, Mr Gbolagade Busari ,The General Manager of Shooting Stars Football Club, Mr Rashidi Balogun ,The Team Manager of Oluyole Warriors, Mr Dimeji Lawal, 3sc Coach, Edith Olumide Agoye Chairman, Oyo State General Supporters Club, Mr Oyeniyi Olufemi reading these distasteful comments
We therefore call on the Executive Governor of Ogun State, His Excellency, Senator Ibikunle Amosun through the Honourable Commissioner of Sports Honourable Afolabi Afuape and the Chairman, Ogun State Football Association, Alhaji Majekodunmi to expedite actions and bring whoever that is behind the ugly incidence to book.
Also, we urge the Chairman and the Board Members of Bet9ja National League to pay a keen attention to this venue and made the Ogun State Football Association clarify the rationale behind this compromise
Even though the above named administrators would not allow anybody to put Bet9ja Nigeria National League or any other leagues and Ogun State in particular to disrepute but we still demand an urgent deployment of security personnel to the MKO Abiola Stadium to forestall any breach of the law on Saturday.
The rule expressly states that an away team must be allowed to train 24hrs before the match and any violation of such must be reported to appropriate authorities with evidence before the match is kicked off.
With this development, I think Shooting Stars might likely play the match under protest or behind the closed door as the fundamental aspect of the game has been compromised by the State except the security personnel are provided and guaranteed for the away team tomorrow.
All eyes are on Ogun State Football Association to bring sanity into the game of football and help build the vision of the present leadership of Nigeria Football Federation in line with global best practices.
By Sunday Agunbiade
