IfeanyiUba’s Ignominious Example Must Stop

Lagos – The atmosphere at the Sani Abacha Stadium was devoid of pleasantries with dignitaries, including Kano state governor, Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) and League Management Company (LMC) officials, in awe after FC Ifeanyiuba abandoned their league match against Kano Pillars in Kano penultimate Saturday.

The officials and fans alike watched in amazement as the NPFL new season’s curtain raiser was brought to a grandstand in what has since been labeled national embarrassment.

In the match that marked the beginning of the 2016/2017 Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) season, the visitors, on the orders of Jonathan Igwe, their team manager, abandoned the match in the 60th minute.

The action has drawn widespread condemnation with both sports and non sports stakeholders viewing the action as a huge disservice to the league, more so as the match was the first in the season, which expectedly attracted huge spectators.

It will be recalled that during the time of Oyuki Obaseki as LMC boss, similar circumstance played out in one of the season’s opening games involving Akwa United and Enyimba in Uyo.

Just like the Kano episode, the high-profile match was refereed by a woman. Before now, the league has witnessed relative sanity even though there were pockets of crises here and there.

In the match, IfeanyiUba FC felt cheated after scoring goal with the whistle already blown for the end of the first half.
Also, the visitors felt aggrieved after the same referee allowed what seemed like an offside goal by Pillars, while also querying the sending off of their coach in the process.

Suffice to say that similar circumstances play out weekly in advanced leagues around the world. Besides, the referees are human and can make mistakes as Dr Ifeanyi Uba, the club’s owner admitted on Wednesday while granting an interview. He also condemned the action of his players.
“The referee, Folusho Ajayi from Oyo State, did her best. As you know, we are human and are liable to mistakes. However, these decisions do not warrant us walking out of the pitch.

“If it were an international match, are you saying we will abandon the match because things are not going our way?
True to Uba’s words, Nigerians are weekly glued to their television set to watch English Premier League and other top leagues globally on account of their fluidity and purposefulness. That does not mean that referees do not err in those leagues.

For example, earlier in January, centre referee Mike Dean obviously ‘robbed’ West Ham United at their home ground after wrongly sending off Sofiane Feghouli and allowing a clear offside goal by Zlatan Ibrahimovic, leading to United’s 2-0 win in the match.

It would be recalled that the same Dean also caused a stir last season after wrongly sending off Arsenal’s Gabriel (even though the defender was no way near where the incident took place) and refusing to punish Chelsea’s Diego Costa for head-butting in a match at the Stanford Bridge.
Even FC IfeanyiUba, it will be recalled, rode to the Federation Cup final over Crown FC last year on the strength of referee’s decision. In their match against Enyimba in Nnewi, Enyimba alleged that the referee gave the host the match.

For the records, there has never been a time players in the top leagues in Europe, even in the obscure ones, walk out of the field on account of wrong calls by the referee. Based on this, FC IfeanyiUba were sanctioned by the LMC.

The club was charged in a four-count of breach of the NPFL rules and framework and sanctioned by the league body for which the club have been handed a suspended sentence of deduction of eight points should the breach occur again.

This is in addition to the forfeiture of the three points and three goals from the Pillars’ match and fines totaling N9.15 million.
Also, Igwe and Coach Yaw Preko were served sanction notices while the match referee, Funso Ajayi, was referred to the NFF for failing to meet up with the high standard expected in the Nigeria Professional Football League and exhibiting unsatisfactory game management.

While FC IfeanyiUba might have acted badly and attempted to bring the league into disrepute, suffice to say that in the match under consideration, the NFF erred in appointing a lily-livered referee to handle such a high-profile encounter.

That is why the LMC’s recommendation to the NFF that she be withdrawn from officiating pending the full review of her performance penultimate Saturday comes as a big relief to league followers.

In such a high-profile encounter and being the season’s opener with expected crowd and top officials, the football house should have gone for a very resolute, composed and courageous official, who wouldn’t be intimidated by the crowd.

It was obvious that the referee, Ajayi, was not on top of the game; and it was quite noticeable through her wrong calls.
When the Super Eagles played Fennecs of Algeria in a World Cup qualifying match in October 2016, for instance, FIFA realized that the match was the biggest fixture in the weekend and went for one of Africa’s best in The Gambia’s Bakary Papa Gassama. The effect was his resolute and unbiased call in that match Nigeria eventually won 3-1.

The event penultimate Saturday could have multiple effects on the league. For instance, if it were to be in other leagues where sponsorship is sacrosanct, the actions of FC IfeanyiUba could force the league sponsors to pull out.
Also, such ugly scenario may lead to the league organisers paying heavy fines to TV right sponsors and advertising firms, whose business would have been affected by the development.

Speaking on the issue, Felix Owolabi, former Super Eagles winger, said FC IfeanyiUba could have done better than walking away, while believing that their action did not, however, rob the league of exciting beginning.
“I don’t want to believe the league started on a sad note,” he said.

“The reason is because before anybody enters for a competition, there are rules guiding the competition. And based on that, oaths are taken on abiding by the rules and regulations.

“So for me, it was not a bad incident, all they should have done is go ahead and finish the match then later protest. There are alternatives, walking off is not the best way.
“And looking at the referee, we all know that whatever the referee says is final. That is not to say the referee cannot be queried. But after a team must have accepted whatever decision the referee have given during a game, after the game, you can now come back to protest.

“So like I said, it started on a fantastic note, because while some teams were busy winning their home matches, some were drawing and also losing. It was a good opening week in the new season as far as am concerned.”

On his own, Isaac Danladi, chairman of Nasarawa United, while speaking to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), commended the LMC for the sanction on FC IfeanyiUba, saying that it would serve as deterrent to other clubs.

“However, I’m satisfied that the LMC has to step in and come up with a fine to serve as deterrent to other clubs who might have the impression of doing the same thing.
“It was quite unprofessional for such thing to happen,” he said