NNL abandoned match: Kwara Utd demands 3 points against Ranchers

THE management of Kwara United has urged the Nigeria National League to award three points and three goals to the team following the harassment meted out to its players and officials by fans of Ranchers Bees during the week 30 NNL game played last Saturday in Kaduna.

The match was abandoned in the second half with scores at 2-2 while the Ilorin-based side claimed it deserves board room victory, as the laid down rules guiding the competition had been breached by the home team.

Alhaji Haruna Maigidansanma, the General Manager of the Ilorin-based side, accused the management of Ranchers Bees of instigating their fans against Kwara United players and officials during the game to round off the season.

Maigidansanma said in a statement that the harassment of officials led to the beating of the team's cameraman and the Special Assistant to the Kwara Governor on Sport Matters.

He claimed that due to harassment, the match officials allowed Ranchers to go violent on the visitors alleging that his goalkeeper was held down before they (Ranchers) scored their first goal.

"The fans forcefully took the ball boys uniforms after half time and our officials were beaten. They threw objects at our bench and on the pitch making our players to lose concentration which led to their second goal.

"The fans beat up our cameramen and denied them the opportunity to film where the match officials were being beaten up," Maigidansanma claimed in the statement.

It further stated that it took the match officials more than 20 minutes before they came out for the second half.

The management of Afonja Warriors also condemned the alleged action of Ranchers Bees' boss
Abdulazeez Muhammed who he claimed verbally attacked the match officials at half time and also asked home fans to attack some of the team's (Kwara United) officials.

The statement also said Kwara United was denied opportunity of going to the dressing room at half time as a result of harassment, just as it decried the action of the security personnel at the arena as shameful, as they watched when the team's cameraman and officials were being beaten.

Meanwhile, both Ranchers Bees and Kwara United are in contention for promotion to the Globacom Premier League with Ranchers Bees having 51 points, while Kwara United had 49 points. Wikki Tourists for now remains the only team in group A to have secured promotion having finished with 53 points.


Caption: Segun Alebiosu, Kwara United's leading scorer.

 Division A table at Week 30:


1. Wikki Tourists                   30 17 2 11 53
2. Ranchers Bees                  29 17 0 12  51
3. Niger Tornadoes               30 16 2 12 50
4. Kwara United                    29 15 4 10 49
5. Plateau United                  30 15 4 11 49
6. Mighty Jets                      30 15 2 13 47
7. Kogi United                      30 15 1 14 46
8. Adamawa United             30 14 4 12 46
9. Spotlight FC                     30 14 3 13 45
10. Sokoto United                30 14 2 14 44
11. Jigawa Stars                  30 13 4 13 43
12. Supreme Court              30 13 3 14 42
13. FRSC FC                       30 09 11 10 38
14. DSS FC                          30 12 02 16 38
15. TEAP FC                       30 09 04 17 31
16. Ngr Prisons                   30 04 06 20 18