By Amaechi Agbo

Ejiwumi Dynamics Football Academy has emerged champions of the maiden edition of Odogwu U-17 football tournament, Bestchoicesports.com.ng can report.

In the final match played on Saturday, Ejiwumi Dynamics who were losing 2-1 against Babayaro Football Academy, was awarded the trophy after the Babayaro coach and owner of the club engineered the fans to disrupt the match after Ejiwumi scored their lone goal via penalty to half the scoreline.

Not satisfied with the referee’s decision, Babayaro FA owner and coach of the side, Babayaro Pai protested against the penalty. His protest led to his team supporters to attack the Assistant Referee and the match was halted and players and officials left standing in the field, frightened and scared.

Efforts by the officials of the competition to pacify the irate fans and restore normalcy proved abortive as some of the fans went home and returned brandishing cutlasses and other dangerous weapons.

At this point, calls were made to the Divisional Police Officer, Gwagwalada to mobilise his men to the venue to forestall any eventuality but the police boss reportedly told the official that they do not have enough personnel to send to the venue.

It was at this juncture that the dignitaries who had stepped away from the match venue for safety, left the area.

With the match ingloriously aborted with less than 5 minutes to go, the Local Organising Committee, after painstakingly going through the match review, decided to award Ejiwumi Dynamics the three points and the trophy.

Speaking to our correspondent on phone, chairman of the LOC, Thomapson Ojukwu, bemoaned the action of the coach and owner of Babayaro FA and described it as unprofessional.

“We sat after the incident, of course nobody was happy, and after looking at the incident, we arrived at the conclusion to award the championship to Ejiwumi Dynamics.

“The action exhibited by Babayaro Coach and Owner, Coach Babayaro Pai is condemnable and unacceptable. This is a grassroots football tournament meant to discover talents. Coaches should be guided and professional. They should be ready at all times to live by example. The commotion would not have been there if the coach did not react to a well-deserved penalty. The match was less than 5 minutes to be concluded, so why did he react that way?” he asked.

He however commended the sponsor of the tournament, Patrick Ngwogwu for his good gesture and promised that the tournament would be a yearly event.

Babayaro Pai Suspended From Football matches

The coach and owner of Babayaro Football Academy, Babayaro Pai has been suspended from football related activities for one year following his unprofessional conduct at the Odogwu U-17 Football Tournament.

The suspension was handed down by the Gwagwalada Area Coaching Council who considered his action unprofessional and unacceptable.

Efforts to reach Mr Babayaro to get his reactions on this development were unsuccessful as his cell phone number was switched off before going to press.

With this development, Ejiwumi Dynamics has been declared winner, 2S Football Academy who defeated Real Justice Football Academy 1-0 in the third place match got the second position while Real Justice are now third.

Babayaro has been disqualified from the tournament and banned from participating in future editions.