LMC Orders FC Taraba, Nasarawa to Complete disrupted Fixture in Abuja

* El-Kanemi fined N.5m, to play Pillars behind Closed-doors
* Match Referees Suspended Indefinitely
* Wikki Tourists Coach Abdu Maikaba fined N100, 000
* Jolly Nyame Stadium Banned for one year
* FC Taraba banished to Abuja, Supporters banned

FC Taraba and Nasarawa United will complete their disrupted Match Day 35 fixture on November 4 at the FIFA Goal Project in Abuja where they will continue from the 81st minute while the Jolly Nyame Stadium has been banned for one year from hosting any Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) matches.

In another ruling, El-Kanemi Warriors were fined N500, 000 for disorderly conduct of fans in their Match Day 34 fixture against Giwa FC in Katsina while the Match Day 36 fixture against Kano Pillars will be played behind closed-doors. The Summary Jurisdiction notice to this ruling was issued the club today and signed by the Chief Operating Officer of the League Management Company (LMC), Salihu Abubakar.

Abdu Maikaba

Wikki Tourists Coach, Abdu Maikaba also was charged for breach of code of conduct for club managers following his unguarded comments after the Match Day 35 game between Giwa FC and his club, Wikki Tourists in Jos. The Coach was fined N100, 000 and cautioned to desist from making comments that are capable of bringing the league to disrepute.

One of the many decisions reached by the LMC in the wake of the encroachment and breach of security that marred the encounter at the Jolly Nyame Stadium on Wednesday, October 28 included the ban of the stadium from hosting NPFL matches for one year, It also recommended that the three match officials be investigated by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) Referees Committee which was also requested to stand-down the match officials indefinitely.

Referees Ferdinand Udoh, Efozia P and Digori Tejiri have been referred to the NFF Referees Committee for further investigation of their management of the match.. The LMC said the Referee Udoh should be investigated for allegedly visiting the dressing room of Nasarawa United during the half time break in plain clothes, an act which is believed to have led to increased tension and eventual encroachment on the field of play. They also will no longer officiate in any NPFL games pending the outcome of the investigation

Relying on Article B13.9 of the Framework and Rules, the LMC imposed a fine of N5m on FC Taraba for fans’ encroachment on to the field of play and breach of security which led to the discontinuation of the match. Further to this and in line with Article B13.21, FC Taraba has been ordered to play their next three home matches at the FIFA Goal Project in Abuja.

ZENKE THOMAS OF NASARAWA WITH THE BALL photo credit LMC Media

The LMC also frowned at the conduct of the Supporters Club of FC Taraba and have subsequently banned them from all NPFL matches for the rest of the season while the club has been ordered to pay N250, 000 each to the two match officials, Udoh and Efozia that were assaulted.

It also invoked Article C12, to direct that the Jolly Nyame Stadium be banned for one year from hosting NPFL matches except the club; FC Taraba produces the first person that encroached on the field of play for prosecution.

NFF Congratulates Udoh, Oshoala

The Nigeria Football Federation has congratulated the duo of FIFA-badged referee Ferdinand Udoh and African Woman Player of the Year Asisat Oshoala for deserved strides they made in the past few days.

Udoh, 28, and much respected for his athletism, firmness and strict application of the rules of the game, has been selected by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) as one of the referees for the 11th African U-17 Championship taking place in Niger Republic, 15th February – 1st March, 2015.

Oshoala, Most Valuable Player of the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup finals in Canada, and also undisputable choice for same honour at the African Women Championship in Namibia last year, signed a professional contract with Liverpool Ladies Football Club of England.

NFF Acting President, Barrister Seyi Akinwunmi, lauded the duo and charged them to see their strides as calls to put in even more effort and diligence into their different vocations.

“The NFF is happy with the selection of Ferdinand Udoh for the African U-17 Championship in Niger. This underscores that the integrated efforts we are making for the general improvement of refereeing in Nigeri has not gone unnoticed by the organisations that matter.

“For some years now, we have not had a Nigerian centre referee at major competitions. Now, Udoh is starting with the U-17, which we know is a stepping stone to further glory and much greater glory. Let me reiterate that our objective is to see a Nigerian referee, or referees, officiate at the 2018 FIFA World Cup finals in Russia.

Asisat Oshoala Most Valuable Player (MVP) and the Golden Boot winner at FIFA U-20 World Cup in Canada

“We congratulate Oshoala who is definitely the new poster girl of Nigeria’s women football. Her contract with Liverpool Ladies will certainly encourage her mates in the National Team to also put in more efforts to attract the attention of the best clubs in the world.”

Oshoala was duly crowned the African Woman Player of the Year and Youth Player of the Year at the Glo-Caf African Football Awards in Lagos earlier this month, with Nigeria also claiming the Women National of the Year diadem.

Ferdinand Anietie Udoh, born in 1987, became a FIFA-badged referee in 2013.

Nigeria’s leading assistant referee, Peter Edibi, is presently working at the 30th Africa Cup of Nations finals in Equatorial Guinea.

Nff Sends Elite Referees To England For Capacity Building

The Nigeria Football Federation has concluded all arrangements to send the best of Nigerian referees to the United Kingdom for a special refresher course beginning in the first week of December.

The three–week capacity building exercise is aimed at preparing the best of Nigerian arbiters to become better officiating officials in the coming years, and to enhance their opportunities of commanding greater recognition by international soccer bodies.

According to the President of Nigeria Football Federation, Mr. Amaju Melvin Pinnick, this move is part of the vision of the new NFF Executive Committee to enhance the capacity of our referees for the kind of prominence on the international stage that a leading football powerhouse like Nigeria deserves.

NFF President, Mr. Amaju Pinnick.

“The new NFF Board is determined to train and retrain our referees, as well as coaches and administrators with an eye on better output. There is no reason why Nigerian referees should not be holding their own globally. We have the men and women, and all they need do is enhance their knowledge of modern techniques of the profession.

“In another six months, we will get another company to sponsor another batch of referees to another refresher course. It is a continuous exercise. But selection of beneficiaries will be based on performance on the domestic scene.”

Pinnick says one of the cardinal programmes of his administration is to improve refereeing in Nigeria, and he sees no reason why a Nigerian referee should not be on duty at the 2018 FIFA World Cup finals in Russia.

The eleven lucky arbiters on the trip to England in this first phase, who will be led by the Chairman of the Nigeria Referees Association, Alhaji Ahmed Maude and the Chairman of NFF Referees Committee, Alhaji Yusuf Ahmed ‘Fresh’, are Ferdinand Udoh, Abdullahi Shuaibu, Usman Isah, Samuel Pwadutakan, Orowole Tope, Egudia Efosa, Peter Ogwu, Paul Umuago, Musa Dung Davon, Olayinka Olayide and Ukah Ndubuisi.

It would be recalled that as Chairman of Delta State Sports Commission, Mr. Amaju Pinnick sent two respected referees, Messrs Paul Umuago and Dave Egho to England for capacity building, and the duo officiated Legends’ games at Old Trafford and Stamford Bridge, homes of English Premier League topdogs Manchester United FC and Chelsea FC respectively.

The trip is being sponsored by Senforce Insurance Brokers, which also sponsored Umuago and Egho on their trip to England, and which has always partnered Delta State Sports Commission on capacity building.