The first semi-final match of this year’s Federation Cup between FC IfeanyiUbah and Crown Football Club of Ogbomoso, played at the Ahmadu Bello Stadium, Kaduna on Wednesday was abandoned with few minutes to the end of the match.
The match was abandoned after the centre referee, A.A Ibraheem, disallowed a goal scored by Crown FC through Yakub Ahmed. Scores before the goal stood at 2-1 against the Ogbomoso side.
Crown had shot into the lead in the 15th minute of play through Ahmed, while IfeanyiUbah levelled up four minutes after.
IfeanyiUbah then took the lead in the 62nd minute through a controversial penalty kick taken by Tamen Medrano.
All along, Ibraheem’s many calls were being condemned and described as uncalled for by Kaduna fans.
The angry fans eventually distrupted the match in the 88th minute when Ibraheem disallowed Crown FC’s equaliser.
The Assistant referee 1 had pointed to the centre, indicating a goal, but Ibraheem disallowed the goal which prompted the fans to encroach the pitch.
Senator Fatai Buhari, who was at the stadium to watch the match, while speaking to Tribunesport, called on the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to punish the referee, saying that he was a disgrace to football refereeing in Nigeria.
“The good thing is that it was angry fans that distrupted the match and not the Crown FC supporters. Using money to destroy our football is not good. He should be punished because he destroyed the match,” Buhari said.
Both the chairman, House Committee on Sports in the Oyo State House of Assembly, Honourable Sina Adeniyi and the state’s Commissioner for Sports, Yomi Oke, condemned the referee’s action, describing it as disgusting and an act that will destroy football.
Meanwhile, the Kaduna State Referees Council has disowned Ibraheem, just as it condemned his action.
A top member of the Kaduna Referees Council who pleaded not to be mentioned told Tribunesport that the leadership of the council met immediately the match was abandoned and washed its hands off the disgraceful act by one of them.
“We totally condemn the call because one cannot imagine why he accepted the goal and the next second, he pointed at goalkick for IfeanyiUbah. Where on earth is that done?
“It is so sad that he retired in disgrace since that is his last match and it was given to him so that he could retire with a ceremony but he is on his own and will carry his cross because this is a shame to our profession, our council has no hand in it,” he said.
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