By Christian Okpara
The Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) has said that it fined Ibadan-based Shooting Stars Sports Club (3SC) N5 million, and banned their fans from watching their home games because the team breached rules governing the game when they hosted a Week 32 match against Ikorodu City at the Lekan Salami Stadium.

Rising from its hearing on the fracas that marred the game at the Lekan Salami Stadium, last Sunday, the league body’s disciplinary committee asked the club to pay another N2 million to Ikorodu City for damages to their bus following security breaches that resulted in attack on the Ikorodu City contingent.

The NPFL restricted 3SC fans indefinitely from gaining access to their home games. The incident, which occurred at the end of Matchday 32 of the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL), led to a disciplinary panel sitting on Wednesday.

The Ibadan Club was found guilty of all three count of failure to provide adequate security, failure to ensure proper conduct of their supporters resulting in attack on the opponents, and throwing of objects to the field of play and at the referees.

For failure to provide adequate and effective security, which resulted in unauthorised persons gaining access to restricted areas and harassing the match officials, Shooting Stars were fined N1million.

The second charge read, “You are in breach of Rule C9 of the Frameworks and Rules of the Nigeria Premier Football League, in that on Sunday, 06th April 2025, in the course of Match Day 32 Fixture: Shooting Stars vs. Ikorodu City, you failed to ensure the proper conduct of your supporters, which resulted in the assault on the away team supporters.”

The disciplinary panel ordered a fine of another N1 million and on the third charge of not controlling their fans, they are to also pay N1 million. For breach of Rule B13.18, as a result of their supporters throwing objects toward the field of play and the match officials, Shooting Stars will pay N1 million, bring to total to N3 million in addition to N2 million to be paid for damages to Ikorodu City bus.

According to the ruling, the panel ordered the closure of the Lekan Salami Stadium to fans for the rest of the season. Shooting Stars, under Rule C26, is required to within 48 hours, indicate acceptance of the ruling or elect to appeal the decisions.