Nigerian Football
NRA Kicks Against LMC Decisions
The LMC decisions on last Sunday’s league fixture of Kano Pillars and Akwa United has not gone down well with the Nigeria Referees Association, NRA.
In swift reaction via a release by the body’s national publicity secretary, Kelechi Mejuobi, the NRA expressed reservation over the outcome of the decisions taking by the LMC concerning the attack meted to match officials in the Kano Pillars vs. Akwa Utd in Kano.
NRA President, Tade Azeez stated that the decisions did not go down well with the referees’ body which feels unprotected by the indifference approach of the LMC to the plight of referees whenever they are attacked at match venues.
In what appears like a protest letter, the NRA has dispatched to the LMC, the Association complained about the conspicuous absence of any form of cost for medical treatment the referees underwent after suffering several degrees of injuries after the match.
The statement endorsed by Tade Azeez, NRA President reads thus “After a careful study of the decisions LMC made public, the NRA has no option than to protest the indifference attitude of the league organisers to the plight of referees involved in the match and persistent non consideration of the post-attack treatment of referees after sustaining injuries arising from physical assaults before, during and after matches.
“The careful exclusion of the medical treatment of the highly injured referees and non consideration of the amount they must have spent and other cost for treatment of injuries after the incident is not only unfortunate but unacceptable to us.
“Suffice it to note that the referees were the worst hit and unfortunate victims of the riotous acts of supporters in Kano. Ironically, LMC did not consider the referees in the decisions for necessary compensation”
While asking the LMC to recall that “in the past, referees attacked and assaulted by fans in match venues failed to receive monies spent for medical treatment; an ugly trend that has not gone down well with the NRA especially, the listed Premier League referees.
It added that “except, referees in NPFL are the “sacrificial lamb” of the elite domestic league, the LMC would have considered the fate of match officials attacked by club players and supporters at league centres”
The NRA further said “Referees have suffered permanent and temporary injuries due to fans’ attack. The scars are sad reminders of zero action from LMC.
“Furthermore, medical treatment claims and cost of items lost by referees in the past have not been redeemed till date while the LMC continues to crave for a better league without considering the plight of referees after suffering violence in match venues.
“In view of the above, the NRA requests the LMC to reconsider the sanctions handed to clubs who attacked referees in the incidents decided to far as no match is worth the life of any referee in Nigeria.
“Once again, the NRA is upbeat about joining LMC in taking the NPFL to the next level by urging its members to continue to free, fair and firm in all matches” the statement added.
Two points have been chalked off from the 55 that Enyimba currently have after 32 match days.
This is sequel to the decision of the NFF disciplinary committee which upturned the victory that Enyimba had over Doma United in a March 10 game.
The match was disrupted after 88 minutes with the scoreline at 0-0. Then Enyimba scored a goal which was initially admitted, then the referee consulted with the Assistant Referee 1 who raised his flag for an offside positioning. The referee agreed that the goal was scored from an offside position.
The referee was faulted for using an unorthodox means of consulting an Outside Broadcasting Van outside the stadium main bowl to arrive at a decision.
The NFF has therefore ruled that the result of the match at the point of the restart of the game after over ruling the goal scored as offside is hereby upheld at (0-0).
Enyimba though still second, are tied on points with Remo Stars as both have the same points and goal difference. Remo Stars which secured a double over Enyimba in the on-going league.
Remo Stars also have a game at hand.
BY KUNLE SOLAJA.
It is 34 days to the match that will possibly shape Finidi George’s career as the new helmsman on the saddle of Super Eagles’ technical crew.
The Nigeria- South Africa will shape the Super Eagles’ destiny in the qualifying series for the World Cup 2026. Dropping of points in the match will be injurious as the Super Eagles began the race last November in the fashion of coal-propelled locomotive and are now third on the log of a six-team field.
What will put the Super Eagles back into reckoning will be the amassing of the six-points available in the home game with South Africa and the away duel with Benin Republic.
Encounters with South Africa have always evoke deep rooted passion and tension. Will an overtly self-effacing Finidi George be able to soak the looming tension?
Details of his contract is not known and may never been known as it is against the norm in Nigeria for the monetary value of footballers and managers to be revealed.
Also not known are the other members of his technical crew, whether imposed or nominated by the new manager.
Will he be solely responsible to draw up the list for the twin match with South Africa and Benin Republic?
Will he keep on with his current role at Enyimba which is at the cusp of possible 10th league title?
All these issues have to be straightened out today before we have another Paradise loss and have to be relegated to the spectators’ stands when the enlarged World Cup 2026 gets underway.
It is on record that Finidi George’s goal earned Nigeria their first berth at the World Cup. Will he repeat the deed by qualifying Nigeria to the World Cup as a manager?
Time and actions will tell.
BY KUNLE SOLAJA.
After two matches last March in which Nigeria Super Eagles won one and lost the other, the Nigeria Football Federation Finidi George has been judged as the right man for the vacant Super Eagles job.
He thus become the 41st person to occupy the position since the adhoc engagement of John Finch, former Fulham winger in 1949. According to a press release by the NFF, the board of the federation on Monday approved the recommendation of its technical development committee to appoint Finidi George as Head Coach of the Super Eagles.
George who belong to the Nigeria Golden Generation of Super Eagles of 1994 spent 20 months as assistant to José Santos Peseiro.
In his baptism as an interim national coach, his squad edged Ghana 2-1, ending an 18-year winless streak against the Black Stars, but then lost 0-2 to Mali in the second game. The loss to Mali was the first time Nigeria had been beaten by Mali since 1972.
As a national team player, George is best known as the player whose goal qualified Nigeria for the World Cup for the first time ever.
It was a goal scored against Algeria on 8 October 1993 – incidentally it was the 44th anniversary of Nigeria’s maiden international match played against Sierra Leone in 1949.
Finidi played 60 times for Nigeria and was Nigeria’s 40th scoring debutant when he came as a substitute in a 7-1 defeat of Burkina Faso on 27 July 1991.
He is a winner with the Super Eagles at the 1994 Africa Cup of Nation and featured at the World Cup at the USA ‘94 and France ’98.
Incidentally, his major task now is to qualify Nigeria to another World Cup in the USA and two other nations. The match is 35 days away from this Monday.
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