The Nigeria Football Federation Disciplinary Committee has dismissed Kano Pillar’s appeal in response to their game against Dakadda FC this season. Pillars hosted Dakadda on the 23rd of June 2022 in a rescheduled game which led to Kano Pillars Chairman physically assaulting an officiating referee in a video making rounds on social media.
Days ago, The News Chronicle published an article with regard to the gross misconduct of Mr Surajo Yahaya during their rescheduled game against Dakadda FC.
Pillars had been fined over 2mn and the chairman Mr Surajo Yahaya was suspended indefinitely.
Although Pillars made an appeal after they were sanctioned by LMC, the appeal has been rebuffed by the NFF Disciplinary Committee.
Kano Pillars three points deduction means they have been officially relegated to the second division, Nigeria National League for next season.
In an official statement made by the disciplinary committee, it read:
The Committee found as a fact that Kano Pillars FC did not challenge findings No. 5 of the decisions of the NFF Disciplinary Committee, which is the assault on the Asst. Referee 1 by the former Chairman of Kano Pillars FC.
That Dakkada Int’l FC admitted that their camera was not destroyed, but the memory card was removed, and the microphone destroyed, but the recording was saved on the internal memory of the camera and same was forwarded to League Management Company, and it is in the League Management Company’s record.
The Committee found as a fact that the League Management Company’s letter dated 14th July 2022, was contemptuous of the NFF Appeals’ and Disciplinary Committees and their representative, Uche George Egbe, refused to withdraw the letter when demanded by the Appeals’ Committee.
Decision of the Appeal Committee
Finding No.5 of the Disciplinary Committee, which was not appealed against by the Appellant, was what the Committee found as the main crux of the disruption of the match by the attack of the Kano Pillars former Chairman on Asst. Referee 1, as shown in the pictorial evidence presented before the Committee. Considering the above, the Appeal fails.
On the issue of the destroyed camera, the Committee agrees that the memory card was removed and the pouch of the microphone was destroyed, as such, this constitutes damage to property, therefore, the appeal fails.
The decision of the Disciplinary Committee is hereby upheld. Consequently, the appeal is hereby dismissed.
On the League Management Company’s letter dated 14th July 2022, addressed to the General Secretary, Nigeria Football Federation, having found that the letter is contemptuous, League Management Company is hereby barred from sending such letter to the Nigeria Football Federation. League Management Company has been cautioned several times, as the letter was trying to sway the decision of the NFF Appeals’ Committee.
An appeal against this decision shall lie to the Court of Arbitration for Sports, Lausanne, Switzerland. (Art. 70 of NFF Statutes, 2010.)
A request for the ground of this decision must be sent in writing to the NFF General Secretariat within 10 days of the receipt of notification of the finding of the decision. Failure to do so within the stated deadline will result in the decision becoming binding and final.
