Few weeks after the
minister of sports,
Bolaji Abdullahi
threatened to drag
any referee found
guilty of match fixing to court
and the Independent Corrupt
Practices Commission,
ICPC, the Nigeria Football
Federation, NFF on Thursday
banned a referee from
participating in the 2013 FIFA
physical fitness test for alleged
shaddy dealing.
NFF head of referee
department, Sunday Okayi
told Pilot Sports that the referee
who he could not disclose his
name was alleged to have been
sending text messages to a
club he officiated their match
but failed to honour their
agreement.
‘’A referee sent a text message
to a club that the deal with the
club has not being fulfilled. We
intercepted the text message
and immediately, we banned
the referee from participating
in the FIFA fitness test. We
are investigating the ugly
development and if the said
referee is found guilty, he
will be dismissed as a referee
and banned from football
matters for life. We are serious
about the matter and the
Federation will not leave any
stone unturned to unravel the
culprit. We do not want any
referee to tarnish the image of
the Association, the Nigeria
Football Federation, NFF and
the League. The action is too
grievous to sweep under the
carpet because it is capable of
bringing reproach to Nigerian
Football especially now that
we are just getting out of the
146 goals scandal in Bauchi.’’
Okayi said the club involved
will not go scot free as the same
penalty awaits them. ‘’ It takes
two to tango. If there is no
giver, there will be no taker.
This why we are saying that
the fight against match fixing
By Asuelimen Osasuyi should not only be restricted to
the door step of referees because
that desperations of clubs and
their official to win at all cost has
made a mess of our League. We
are looking at the wrong place
when we say that only the referees
fix matches. Who enticed these
referees? So let the clubs stop
pressuring the referees and the
moment club administrators
stop the trend, then we would be
talking of a viable League. I think
the minister should state the Clubs
for us to have a head way.’’
However, Okayi said that the
decision taken by the Minister
of Sports to drag any referee
that fix match to court or ICPC
would be supported especially
as the measure is geared toward
sanitising Nigerian Football and
the League.
‘’The Minister is the political
head of Nigerian sports. He has
to provide the needed leadership
and we in the referees department
have to provide him the support.
We want the League to be free of
match fixing so that we can have
a credible League. The minister
is in the right direction and we
are ready to assist him fetch out
those culpable. The League must
be healthy and to do this match
fixers must be dealt with to serve
as a deterrent to others. If a referee
is found culpable like the minister
said, let such one face the court or
EFCC.’’
He tasked the minister to put in
place all security tactics to be able
to track down those involve in the
act that have brought shame to
Nigeria.
He disclosed that clubs also
pressure the secretariat to give
them special referee to officiate
their matches, a situation he has
been opposed to and club owners
calling for his head.
‘’Right now, the referees
department now monitors
matches, putting the referees and
club owners under strict watch.
We will not hesitate to expose any
referee or club managers found
wanting and in that direction the
threat of the minister would come
into play.’’