A Federal High Court sitting in Kaduna has summoned the Nigeria National League Board and the Nigeria Football Federation(NFF) as first and second respondents respectively to appear before it on April 15th, 2015 over a case filled by Ranchers Bees FC of Kaduna.
The plaintiffs were aggrieved over the award of three point and three goals to Kwara United in the week 30 match of the 2013/2014 Nigeria National League, suspension of their players and officials and the fine imposed on it by the board of the Nigeria National League(NNL) and the disciplinary and appeals committee of the Nigeria Football Federation without fair hearing.
According to Ranchers Bees, this negates the accepted practice as guaranteed under section 36 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended) of fair hearing, as well as the provision of NFF statutes and the regulation of the Nigeria National League on the procedure of discipline of players and officials.
Chairman of Ranchers Bees Football Club, Hon Abdulazeez Mohammed while lamenting their case said that the match report of the first match was jettisoned with verbal report taken, adding that the second match was played under protest stating the use of players who had earlier been substituted and other acts infringing the rules of FIFA in continuing a match on another day.
He added that the decision to award three points to Kwara, banning of Ranchers Bes players and officials and fine imposed on Ranchers were taken before the date of hearing. He described the act as total aberration of rules and regulation and act of impunity in favour of Kwara United from the first match.
It would be recalled that, a week 30 match in the Nigeria National League Division 1 A, between Ranchers Bees and Kwara United was abandoned in Kaduna, with just 28 minutes left to the end of the match when Ranchers bees FC leveled scoreline to 2-2 coming from two goals down and the bench of Kwara United ran into the pitch refusing to continue play.
The match was reportedly awarded to Ranchers Bees FC after the official report, only for the NFF O and D committee
and Nigerian National League Board to reverse the reported decision while ordering that the remaining 28 minutes of the
match be replayed at the FIFA goal Project in Abuja, on the December 9th 2014.
The match was again abandoned with six minutes left to play, when the centre referee awarded a penalty to Kwara United, a decision that ended the match abruptly for the second time and the NNL, NFF O & D and appeals committee awarded three points and three goals to Kwara United, while suspending Taju Ojo, Omo Attah, Mansir Adamu, Ali Nayara and Tele Ibrahim all of Ranchers Bees and imposing a total fine of N1,200,000 on the Kaduna.
