Nobody can stop Pillars from retaining league title- Abba Yola

What are the chances of Kano Pillars to win the league and go back to continental competition? That matter has been concluded, we are on course, we are focused, and we believe that the league title is not something we should be worried about because it is not far away from us as you can […]

What are the chances of Kano Pillars to win the league and go back to continental competition?
That matter has been concluded, we are on course, we are focused, and we believe that the league title is not something we should be worried about because it is not far away from us as you can see. I don’t think even with all that we are going through at the moment, we will relent in our efforts to take the league shield as we did last year back-to-back, and I can assure you that no intrigue will stop us from remaining focus on what we want to do and achieve. So, that remains our target and we are going all out to ensure that we win the league title this year.
Based on your standing on the league table, you have included the Enyimba points, what happens, if the Enyimba points are deducted from you?
We have no reason to believe that these points will be deducted from us because we have not done anything that warrants the three points taken away from us and that is why the points have been credited to our team because we have not done anything.
I want to say here without fear of contradiction that we did not refuse to continue the match, in fact we were there and it took a few seconds for the security men to clear the fans from the pitch for the match to continue according to the match commissioner and the referees. The AR 1 and AR 2 were there to allow play to continue for the remaining three minutes.
I also want to say that we were already wining the match before this thing happened and I don’t see any reason why a winner would do anything that would jeopardize his chances of winning at the end of the day. But unfortunately, this thing happened and it is not the best but this thing was done in celebration of the goal that came in the 87th minute of play. It is really wrong, we know but when the people are tensed and got this kind of relief, they don’t know the excitement t came for them to enter the pitch.
The match commissioner was surprised at the way the people reacted, but when he saw that they were only celebrating, he was amazed that they can’t control their joy over this kind of a thing that has to do with a very fundamental law of the league by coming into the field.
It is wrong, I condemn it and we cannot allow that kind of thing to happen again, but in fairness to Kano Pillars fans, nobody went after the referee or a player of Enyimba, that is a fact and we are ready to prove that we did not do anything wrong.
So, the issue of taking away points does not really arise unless if we are not part of the Nigeria football family. Unless somebody wants to tell me that he wants to punish us for an offence we did not commit, and we will take it up no matter what to the last minute to ensure that this does not happen.
Are you ready to replay the match?
 We are very ready to replay the match, once the O and D committee sits down and says yes we have found you guilty. We are ready; we are a law abiding football club. We are not fighting anybody for anything, other than to ensure justice and fair play. If we are found wanting why not, we will abide by the decision.
We are not going to be slaughtered in Lagos; after all, we have been playing there. But then, there are issues pertaining to that match in question, but we will say it at the right time when the time comes.
You (Kano Pillars) are saying you can play the remaining three minutes, but they are saying you should play full 90 minutes, what is your reaction to that?
Well, we are still contesting, even the banishment to Lagos, so I don’t want to speak much on it, but there is s bit of contradiction because in the morning a letter came from the LMC that we should play the remaining three minutes and added time, but in the afternoon another letter came that we are going to play full 90 minutes and another added time that the referee would give.
So, we are still protesting that, we have made an appeal and the appropriate body will sit down and look at our appeal, if they are okay…
We cannot start fighting the decision the NFF will take because we are not quarrelling with anybody, we are only trying to prove that we did not do any wrong and we don’t deserve this kind of punishment because there are precedents to show that we have been unfairly treated.
So, will you say this is double-standard?
No, I can’t say this is double-standard, but I call it double page because you are looking at Abba Yola’s face and punishing him for an offence he did not commit, and you are looking at the other person’s face and saying you have committed an offence but let us give a lighter punishment and just go.
The issue does not even tally at all because punishment should be commiserate with the offence, it should not be overbearing on the person who … Normally, punishments are meant for correction, not only in Nigeria and football but the world over.
If you are punished, the people are trying to correct you but not to over-flog you; but that is what Kano Pillars is at the moment going through. We are being over-beaten for no reason at all. If we commit offence, yes punish us but giving us five punishments on one presumed offence when you are giving one punishment to other people for the same offence is unfair.
So, I want to appeal to the LMC and NFF to look at this issue because we have not committed any crime. That is just that.
What are these similar incidences?
The most recent one is that of Kwara United and Warri Wolves. We all know what happened to the match officials, they were maltreated and even rushed to the hospital, and we saw when the match was abandoned but they were asked to play at home.
The fine I learnt was later removed, and though they were not asked to play the remaining minutes, they were asked to play full 90 minutes but that is justified.
But in our own case which was only three minutes to end of the match, not a stone was thrown at somebody, nobody went to the hospital and there were policemen in the stadium but nobody complained that I am being beaten or my life is being threatened. So why are we being treated like that?
From what you have said here some clubs that have committed offences a bit worse than Kano Pillars have been given lighter punishments, do you see any form of conspiracy in the whole exercise?
 Honestly, that I cannot confirm. I don’t believe in the theory of conspiracy because whatever belongs to you must come to you. What is ours cannot be taken away from us.
What I can say however is that the process of meting out punishments to offenders should be the same, and that is what is unacceptable to me because once there is a standard, let that standard remains. Every offence must have a laid down punishment for it, it should not be selective justice.
Nothing happened at all, we have a CD and we intend to present it to the committee when they call us next week.
We have made an appeal and I don’t want to go deep into that because it could make my case a bit difficult, so I will rather touch on the one that is of serious concern to me as a stakeholder in Nigerian football.
As a result of the crisis in the Nigerian league, do you support the idea of pegging the number of referees to handle Premier League matches so as to stem the tide?
Yes, I agree with that, even at our last meeting with the LMC, we suggested that to them because we believe it will be of great help in our league. There should be a minimum number of referees and before the start of the league, they should be known so that the clubs will know that these are the referees that will handle their matches.

Note: This interview was conducted before NFF’s Organising and disciplinary committee awarded the contentious three points and three goals to Enyimba FC.