Olympian, Yusuf Alli, has urged the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) and the league’s Interim Management Committee (IMC) to urgently halt what he described as ‘dangerous’ officiating in the ongoing 2023 Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) season before the league returns to its inglorious day. He said the attitude of some of the referees is destroying the gains made at the beginning of season.
Alli, who is the executive chairman of Edo State Sports Commission (ESSC), revealed that some top clubs in the NPFL are ganging up against Bendel Insurance, a club with a rich pedigree, which they see as a ‘small club’ because it just gained promotion from NNL and is dominating giants and has remained unbeaten this season.
Since the 2023 season began, Bendel Insurance has been in splendid form, winning home and away. He said the ‘gang-up’ against the club was particularly terrible in Aba, when the team played against Enyimba two weeks ago.
“The referee gave a questionable penalty against Insurance, a decision that even the home team supporters found strange.
Despite intimidation from the referee, the Benin Arsenal still managed to leave Aba with a point. If referees are hostile to the club away, their home games are not different; the referees are also playing against them in their home matches,” he said.
According to Alli, in Bendel Insurance’s last match against Akwa United in Benin, which was witnessed by Edo State’s Deputy Governor, Philip Shaibu and Davidson Owumi of IMC, Bendel Insurance were denied a clear penalty and the referee, undoubtedly lacking in acumen, admitted that it was actually a penalty, but he had to deny Insurance because an official of Akwa United complained.
“These referees are supposed to be unbiased umpires, but they are biased, but they and their cohorts are killing our league. Their postulation that Bendel Insurance just came from the NNL and therefore, should be frustrated, shows their shallow thinking and lack of sense of history,” he said.
He queried: “Is it not in this same country that Leventis United came from the lower division to dominate the FA Cup, Premier League, and even dominated on the continent and all and sundry applauded them.”
Alli stated that instead of being envious and ganging up to destroy the good work of Edo State government and the management team of Bendel Insurance, “they should have come for tutorials on how to run a football club successfully and Edo State Government will give them the manual free.
“Apart from our pedigree, which is as good as those of the best clubs in the league and better than that of most of them, a lot of work is responsible for our recent success. It was not as straight as a rope; it took a lot of sweat and blood.
“Apart from the personal commitment of Governor Godwin Obaseki and his deputy, Shaibu, and the management of ESSC, we embarked on nationwide recruitment for the best of the best. All our players made the team on merit, not through any godfather, our welfare package, medical and others are first class and we abhor cutting corners.”
Alli revealed that the club’s sponsors and supporters are becoming frustrated and called on “the NFF and the IMC to do something urgently to stop this ugly trend.
“I advocate severe sanctions for erring officials; this will deter others and stop the trend. As a sportsman, I know what it means to be a victim of cheating. That is why till today, I advocate a life ban for athletes, who take performance-enhancing drugs.”
