NPFL: Lobi embroiled in match-fixing allegations as 3SC denies attacking Ikorodu City

The Nigeria Premier Football League board is set to launch an investigation into the betting and match-fixing allegations which is currently rocking former league champions and relegation-threatened side Lobi Stars.

Lobi Stars media officer, Emmanuel Ujah, accused their players of match-fixing during an interview with Today 95.1FM Port Harcourt, while also expressing his frustration with the present position of the club on the log.

“So, there’s this unwholesome practice that have been going on in Lobi. They have been betting at Bet9ja (you know we can’t hide anything again), fixing matches,” Ujah said.

“They’ll ask people to bet that they’re scoring us two goals today, so go and bet. We told the club chairman to dissolve the team and let the people go and bring other players in the second stanza of the league, those (he) can control.

“Even Amokachi (Daniel) in our first meeting told us that the players and officials are betting.

“The present management said ‘ok let’s give them the benefit of the doubt’ and that benefit of the doubt we’re paying dearly for it now.”

One of the players of the club, however, dismissed the allegations as baseless and blamed the management’s infighting for the team’s misfortune this season.

“Does he think the players are happy to go to the field and lose? They should check themselves. All these problems started when they began fighting over positions at the club,” the player, who pleaded anonymity, said.

In the wake of the accusations, the Chief Operating Officer of the NPFL, Davidson Owumi, said the board had swung into action by launching an internal inquest into the matter.

Elsewhere, Shooting Stars have denied holding players and officials of Ikorodu City hostage after Sunday’s Nigeria Premier Football League match-day 32 encounter at the Lekan Salami Stadium in Ibadan.

The Oluyole Warriors were held to a 0-0 draw by their Southwest rivals, but the fierce derby degenerated into disorder after the final whistle when irate 3SC fans unleashed some unruly behaviour against match officials and their players, as opponents.

Multiple reports and viral videos also showed that the Ikorodu City team bus was damaged, and some of their personnel sustained injuries before they were rescued after almost two hours by security operatives provided by an Oyo State Government official.

In the wake of the incident, the management of 3SC has denied holding their opponents against their will.

“We wish to clearly state, through this medium, that no players and officials were held hostage after Sunday’s match,” the club said in a statement.

“We needed to take such a step as a safety measure for the two teams and match officials, after we got informed about the rowdy, unsafe and unconducive atmosphere outside.

“We also want to refute reports that players and officials of Ikorodu City were attacked and that their bus was damaged. nothing of such happened as the team left the arena well-guarded by security personnel.”

Meanwhile, Chief Operating Officer of the NPFL, Davidson Owumi, has said that the official reports of the match and the incidents will be looked into.

“We will look into the report and all the accusations that have been made and take an action that will serve as a deterrence to other clubs. We can handle everything, and we will look at the rules as well as the limits of the offences,” Owumi told The Punch.