Sunday 10 August 2014

Match Fixing, Nigeria league Board could be hitting hard on Pillars

According to the document, the main agenda of the meeting was to address the poor placement of the club on the league table as they were 14th in the standings with 13 points from 10 rounds of matches.
According to the document, the resolution passed at the meeting was to issue increased 'PR' to match officials for guaranteed away wins and away draws.
PR is a popular term for bribery in Nigerian business circles.
N820,000 was allegedly budgeted for the guaranteed away wins, out of which it was agreed that the Center Referee would get N500,000, while the two Assistant Referees would get N150,000 each, with N20,000 budgeted for Miscellaneous expenses.
Then for guaranteed away draws, a total of N620,000 was allegedly budgeted, out of which the Center Referee would receive N300,000, while the two Assistant Referees would receive N150,000 each, with N20,000 going for Miscellaneous expenses.
The meeting was allegedy held three days after the Sai Mesu Gida narrowly escaped a home defeat in a Week 10 fixture, after they came from behind to draw 1-1 with Heartland FC in Kano.
Subsequent to the alleged meeting, Kano Pillars won seven, drew three and lost once to collect 24 points from a possible 33 in that period.
Titles that have been won by Kano Pillars in recent times have been shrouded by suspicion from many observers.
Kano Pillars won the league last season after emerging victorious in a replayed fixture against Enyimba in Lokoja. The game had been awarded to Enyimba by the League Management Company (LMC) as a result of the violent conduct and pitch encroachment by the Pillars fans.
The decision was also affirmed by the Organization and Disciplinary Committee of the NFF, but was surprisingly overturned by the NFF's Appeals Committee which then ordered a replay of the game at a neutral ground.
The circumstances of their triumph in the previous season was also controversial. Enugu Rangers appeared poised to end their three decade-long trophy drought as they had a fair grip on the league title with only a few games left.
However, already relegated Ocean Boys refused to honour their remaining games, forcing the league's organisers to enforce the rules by expelling the now defunct club, and deducting all points gathered against them. Rangers who did the double over the Bayelsa State club lost six points, allowing Pillars who had not won against Ocean Boys to sail to the title on a superior goal difference.
Suspicions were further aroused when Rangers were not pronounced as champions when the then-NPL Congress under Victor Baribote was directed by the NFF to overturn the decision to expel Ocean Boys from the league, and instead record the club's boycotted matches as walkovers.

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