Nigeria Content Online

The Commissioner of
Sports Development in Bayelsa State, Opukiri Jones – Ere, has stated
that the relegation of the state’s football club, Bayelsa United,
amounts to injustice.

Jones – Ere was
reacting to the ratification of the relegation of Bayelsa United, Wikki
Tourists, Gateway and Ranchers Bees by the congress of the Nigeria
Premier League during the Super Four tournament, which held in
Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State recently.

Bayelsa United
contested the three points awarded to their opponents in an abandoned
match involving them and Wikki Tourists of Bauchi.

Documents made
available to journalists by the commissioner including the match
reports of the referee and the match commissioner, supported Bayelsa
United’s claim that the team was leading by 1-0 when fans of the home
team invaded the pitch and assaulted the centre referee and his
assistants.

In his report
centre referee, John Charles, said the match was abandoned in the 75th
minute when the home team had a free kick awarded in their favour. He
added that he was organizing the defensive wall of Bayelsa United team
when a player of Wikki Tourists cleverly kicked the ball inside the net.

The referee said he
ordered that the kick be re-taken and was about to hand the Wikki
player a yellow card when Wikki fans invaded the pitch and descended on
him and his assistants.

Charles stated that
he, alongside the other officials, was saved by the policemen who shot
teargas to disperse the unruly crowd who however regrouped later with
the Chairman of the home team leading them to their hotels later in the
evening.

“The game was
abandoned in the 75th minute because I awarded a free kick to the home
team and I instructed the Wikki player to wait for my instructions
while I measured the ten requisite yards to the away team. The player
did not wait for the whistle but instead deceitfully kicked the ball
into the opponents net,” Charles stated in the report.

“As I was going to
caution the player with a yellow card, some players numbering about
five rushed at me to protest my decision, then the supporters and thugs
of the home team encroached on the field of play and pounced on me and
the other officials” the report added.

The match
commissioner’s report corroborated the referees’ report but added that
the officials had sneaked to Jos later in the night to avoid graver
repercussions.

“How can they do
this when Nigeria Football is at the moment at a cross road and
Nigerians from all walks of life are agreed that the country’s football
should be sanitized?” Jones-Ere asked.

‘Bayelsa should accept their fate’

Usman Shehu, Wikki
Tourists Media officer who spoke on phone from Bauchi says the
allegations by Bayelsa United are untrue. He said the club’s officials
have distorted events in order to attract sympathy.

“It is not true
that any league official has favoured us. The information Bayelsa
United people are pushing around is misleading and does not correctly
reflect what really happened,” Shehu said.

The Wikki Media
officer said that Bayelsa applied to NPL that the match scheduled for
Saturday in Bauchi be shifted to Sunday whereupon NPL responded that
they should take up the matter with Wikki where they would find the
request agreeable.

“We told them that
it wasn’t possible to shift the match to Sunday as arrangements had
been concluded to have the match played on Saturday. They did not show
up for the match and so we walked them over with three points awarded
to us,” Usman said.

Usman said that
Bayelsa somehow managed to get the NPL to order a replay. He said that
on that day Bayelsa was leading 1-0 when Wikki equalised in the 75th
minute.

“After we scored,
Bayelsa players protested the goal and prevented the match from
continuing. We thought that following the rules we should have been
awarded the match but the NPL again ordered a replay, this time for
Abuja. We were in Abuja three days before the match and on the day of
the match, Bayelsa did not show up. The NPL had no choice that to award
the match to us. The league has ended and the decision has been taken
to relegate team. Wikki was also relegated and we have spent a longer
time in the league than them. Bayelsa should accept their fate. You
cannot win all the time,” Usman said.