Organisers ban Orhuwhorun High School for one year

Orhuwhorun High School, Orhuwhorun, Udu Local Government Area of Delta State, has been given one season ban from the annual Zenith Bank/Delta Principals’ Cup Football Competition because it fielded ineligible players in the ongoing competition.

The State’s Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, Chief Patrick Ukah, who approved the recommendations of a committee set up to look into a petition written by Destiny Secondary School, Ughelli, Ughelli North Local Government Area, said the sanction was to act as deterrent to other schools.

He also directed that the Principal of the school be given a query to explain what led to the development.

During a Zone D preliminary match between the two schools, Destiny Secondary School, who lost the encounter, 5-4 (1-1) on penalties, accused the winners of featuring ineligible players.
Following this development, a committee was set up to look into the matter and officials of the two schools were invited to appear before the committee.

During the exercise, it was revealed that the winners fielded two players namely Omoteregha Meru and Jemuo Samuel, who were not verified and whose names were not in the school’s registration form as verified and certified by the Technical and Venue Committee of the championship, thereby contravening sections of the rules and regulations of the competition.

The committee noted that the action of Orhuwhorun High School amounted to the use of mercenaries during the match and therefore nullified the result of the match and awarded the encounter to Destiny Secondary School.

Chief Ukah stressed that the ministry had zero tolerance for cheating among pupils and students.