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| Both Teams getting ready for the Kickoff |
The opening match of the
2016/2017 NPFL (Nigeria Professional Football League) season between Kano
Pillars and FC Ifeanyi Ubah was abandoned in the 60th minute owing to poor
officiating from the center referee Mrs Folusho Ajayi. What a way to start a
season filled with positivity and high hopes, but would seems to be just a
mirror image of LMC's developmental strides towards the growth of Nigeria local league.
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| Arrival of Kano State Governor |
Pillars were already a
goal up from 30 minutes in through veteran striker Gambo Mohammed, making him
the first goalscorer in the new season. But the trouble started when FC
Ifeanyi Ubah’s winger Prince Aggreh scored a free-kick but the center referee
disallowed the goal and signaled for half time even when the linesman made a
call for a goal and first half ended controversially. Only five minutes after
the break, the referee sent an FC Ifeanyi Ubah official to the stands for
unsportsmanlike behaviour and the visitors protested the decision by halting
play despite the presence of the State Governor and creme dela creme of Nigerian Football at the Sani Abacha Stadium in Kano.
The question most
Nigeria sports and football lovers are asking is why should an opening game of
this caliber filled with tension should be allowed to be handled by a female
referee. Does this implies that she stands out above her experienced male
counterparts to officiate a match of this magnitude inside the intimidating and
notorious Sani Abacha Stadium in Kano?
In Europe its almost
not possible for a woman to officiate in a men's game at both international and
domestic football. But to think that a woman can officiate our epileptic and
developing league is not just a shame but also slap on the face of football
lovers in Nigeria and shows that the good work of the LMC is being
jeopardized.
If we feel women are ripe or good enough to handle and officiate in men's game in Nigeria, then why is it that our female league is still in comatose and under developed?
But the truth is that the FC Ifeanyi Ubah's players should have been disciplined enough not to abandon the game and Club owners should be warned seriously against interference of games and should be more disciplined as they are also role models to our grassroots football development.
Could it be that the Shehu Dikko's led LMC has not got it right when it comes to choosing referee's to handle big games or is their a suspicious conspiracy, despite warnings and training's by Tade Azeez the Chairman of Nigeria Referee Association in the just concluded Fitness Test in Sagamu, Ogun State.........
If we feel women are ripe or good enough to handle and officiate in men's game in Nigeria, then why is it that our female league is still in comatose and under developed?
But the truth is that the FC Ifeanyi Ubah's players should have been disciplined enough not to abandon the game and Club owners should be warned seriously against interference of games and should be more disciplined as they are also role models to our grassroots football development.
Could it be that the Shehu Dikko's led LMC has not got it right when it comes to choosing referee's to handle big games or is their a suspicious conspiracy, despite warnings and training's by Tade Azeez the Chairman of Nigeria Referee Association in the just concluded Fitness Test in Sagamu, Ogun State.........
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