For most Nigerian who grew up glued to the latest in football matches both within and outside the country, have score lines like 7-0 scores rare and most cases a match worth discussing, but when we have 2 matches accounting for 149 goals in total, well that is either for the record books or a case of insanity. The Nigeria Football Federation Monday came down heavily on the principal actors involved in the two shameful football matches.
Penultimate weekend, two amateur football clubs, Police Machine Football Club of Bauchi and Plateau Feeders took their promotion battle to unimaginable heights as they practically reduced their opponents to mere shadows, going haywire with goals.
Police Machine taking on Bubayaro Football Club of Gombe were trying to score more goals than Plateau United Feeder, who were playing Akurba FC, in the race to win promotion to the lowest tier of the Nationwide League Division.
While Police Machine defeated Bubayaro 67-0, Plateau Feeder trounced their opponents 79-0. Things went bizarre in the second half.as Feeders scored 72 of their goals in the second half, while Police Machine found the net 61 times after the break in their game even though analysts have said it is almost impossible to have this score line
After investigations and a rigorous three-day hearing and deliberations, the NFF Disciplinary and Organising Committee passed its findings to the Executive Committee, headed by the President, Alhaji Aminu Maigari.
Finally, the football house passed its verdict on the issue, handing a life ban to all the principal actors in the shameful act. Chairman of the Disciplinary and Organising Committee, Chief Mike Umeh said, “the four clubs involved in the two matches have been banned for 10 years, while the players, match referee and his assistants and the match commissioner have all been banned for life.”
Umeh pointed out that pictures of all the players, referees and other affected individuals will be circulated to all the security agencies for effective monitoring.
Similarly, copies of the NFF verdict have already been forwarded to both the Confederation of African Football, CAF and the Federation of International Football Association, FIFA