The Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) has sanctioned Kwara United with a N6 million fine for disrupting the live broadcast of their matchday 31 encounter against Akwa United and for providing false information which led to a fixture adjustment.
The incident occurred when Kwara United requested a change in the match date, claiming that the state government had scheduled an event at the stadium on the original matchday. This led to the fixture being rescheduled from Saturday, April 20 to Sunday, April 21.
However, investigations revealed that the club provided false information and relied on falsified documents to support their request, which resulted in the disruption of the live broadcast of the game.
In a memo sent to the club, the NPFL stated, “You are in breach of Rule C1.1 of the Frameworks and Rules of the NPFL, in that on Thursday 18 April 2024, prior to your Match Day 31 Fixture: Kwara United FC vs. Akwa United FC, you brought a late application for the rearrangement of the fixture outside of the prescribed time for making such applications, basing your application on a lie and relying on falsified documents, an act capable of bringing the game to disrepute.
“You are in breach of Rule B6.23 of the Frameworks and Rules of the Nigeria Premier Football League, in that on Thursday 18 April 2024, prior to your Match Day 31 Fixture: Kwara United FC vs. Akwa United FC, you disrupted the live broadcast of a game by making false claims about the unavailability of your home ground.”
Kwara United have been given 48 hours to appeal the verdict. If the appeal is not made within the stipulated time or if it is unsuccessful, the club will be required to pay the fine.
