NNL may sanction unruly Yobe Stars supporters

There are strong indications that the Nigeria National League (NNL) board may sanction Yobe Desert Warriors Football Club over the unruly behaviour of their supporters.

The supporters had exhibited such behaviour on arrival at the stadium before their match against Wikki Tourist, and shortly after the match ended in favour of the Bauchi team, they attacked some of their players, especially their goalkeeper, who was flogged immediately after the centre referee blew the final whistle.

The Yobe Stars fans arrived at the stadium early on Thursday before the match and first settled into the space reserved specifically for the media, close to the VIP Suite. Their uncontrolled attitude and noise drew the attention of the stadium managers, who quickly relocated them to the other end of the stadium, which was rightly designated for the club’s supporters, just as the match began.

Wikki Tourists won the game by 4-0, with all the goals coming in the first half. By the time Yobe Stars were three goals up, they became unruly and began to destroy the stadium seats while flinging them across to the pitch area.

It took the quick response of the men of the Nigerian National Defence Corps and the NNL Chairman, Mr George Aluo, to stop them from further damaging the stadium facilities or disrupting the match. The NNDC personnel and the stadium security watched over them until the final whistle, but that was when they showed more rascality.

The die-hard fans of Yobe were able to quickly gain access to the pitch while the players and officials were exchanging pleasantries to physically attack some of their own Yobe Stars players, but the attack was speedily stopped while they escaped back to the stands following the intervention of the security personnel and every other official around the scene.

Every other game in Asaba had been played without any incident until this match, which completely left Yobe Stars in the NNL while Wikki gained promotion to the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL).

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