NPFL has rubbed salt on Wejinya’s wounds
The former Media Officer of Rivers United Football club, Sammy Wejinya, who is the media assistant to the Rivers State Commissioner of Sports, Barrister Chris Green, has been banned from all Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) match venues till the end of the current season. The league body took the decision following an investigation into […]
Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL)
The former Media Officer of Rivers United Football club, Sammy Wejinya, who is the media assistant to the Rivers State Commissioner of Sports, Barrister Chris Green, has been banned from all Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) match venues till the end of the current season. The league body took the decision following an investigation into the crisis that rocked the NPFL week 18 match played at the Lafia Township Stadium between Nasarawa United and Rivers United on December 22, 2024.
It will be recalled that immediately after the match, the popular sports journalist, in a press statement titled “Lafia, pain, blood and escaping death by the whiskers,” explained vividly how he was mobbed and served general beating (GB) by irate fans of Nasarawa United who appeared blood thirsty at that moment.
One of the things that caught my attention in his story was the claim that he had escaped death. I never knew it was possible for a mere mortal to escape the hands of death. Anyway, to clear any doubts, the writer supported his claim with pictorial evidence to show that he was truly manhandled by some hooligans.
In addition, another video clip that captured the ugly scenes followed, and it could be seen clearly that there was a total breakdown of law and order. Although the media department of Nasarawa United attempted to save the image of the club with a rejoinder, it wasn’t convincing enough to wash away the truth in Wejinya’s tale of woes.
Even as the crucial away point picked by Rivers United in the week 18 match served as a consolation for the former Media Officer of the club, his troubles weren’t over because a few days later, the NPFL board rubbed more salt on his wounds with a ban from all its match venues till the end of the season. According to the league body, Wejinya’s article was a misrepresentation of facts and harmed the image of the league.
However, when the NPFL board decided that it was time to punish Nasarawa United, it inadvertently scored an own goal. Nasarawa United was found guilty and punished for breaching the NPFL Framework and Rules, including failure to ensure proper conduct of their team and fans, which led to the assault on the visitors. Please, don’t forget that Wejinya was one of the visitors.
Nasarawa United were charged with encroachment onto the pitch and assault on match referee Musibaudeen Ibrahim. Consequently, in addition to other punitive measures, they have been slammed with a three-point and three goals deduction as well as N3m fine. The ‘Solid Miners’ will also play their matches behind closed doors when the league resumes next weekend.
Now, to the thrust of this article. The decisions taken by the NPFL board in the case between Nasarawa United and Rivers United are aimed at safeguarding the image of the NPFL. But in the course of serving judgment, the league body erred to some extent because it has punished the man who only exposed and amplified the same offences that have landed Nasarawa United into trouble.
Almost all the allegations made by Wejinya in his report were confirmed by the league organisers who cited security breaches and assault on the visitors as well as the match referee as reasons for the punishment against Nasarawa United. So, the question many people are asking is, what is Wejinya’s offence?
Well, the truth of the matter is that the leadership of the NPFL does not want more negative publicity for the league. So, anything-whether true or false – that will further expose the ills in the league is seriously frowned at by the league body. If this were not so, why did NPFL punish a man who only narrated how he “escaped death” in the hands of violent fans? Then, the same allegations that triggered the ban are considered to be serious offences to warrant punishment for Nasarawa United.
Without any doubt, the man who had a close shave with death has been denied fair treatment. Wejinya himself has said NPFL’s anger is that he didn’t handle the situation like a ‘family affair.’ However, in my candid opinion, what the league body ought to have done was to have a private meeting with the victim of the attack to discuss how best to deal with such situations in the future. Maybe he would have been advised against going to press with such a “harmful” story without exhausting all the internal conflict resolution procedures. And the league body could have gone a step further by asking Nasarawa United to compensate the aggrieved man for the personal belongings that he claimed were lost in the melee.
It is good to safeguard the image of the league, but the NPFL board should concentrate more on plugging the loopholes that have continued to bring negative publicity to the league. Instead of crucifying or punishing those who report the shenanigans that abound in the league, the NPFL board should ensure that security at match venues is enhanced, fair officiating is guaranteed at all times and the spirit of sportsmanship inculcated into the fans. Although acts of hooliganism can not be eradicated completely in football, it is worrisome that we still have match venues that are filled to the brim with blood thirsty hooligans.
While I sympathise with my colleague Wejinya, I urge other fans to learn a lesson from his painful experience. No points or football match is worth dying for. Those who travel to support their darling clubs at away venues should take along with them emotional intelligence. They must not engage in needless arguments with the home fans who are usually aggressive, especially when the result is not in their favour. Wejinya himself had confessed that his ordeal in the hands of Nasarawa United fans began when he reacted to a goal scoring opportunity that was missed by his darling club, Rivers United. Maybe, if he had concealed his disappointment or support for the “Pride of Rivers” at that moment, he would have saved himself the beating that he received.