By Adewale Ajayi

I have received three calls, I have spoken to all the parties and I have carefully come to these conclusions.

I was quick to praise the appeal committee for today’s decision because I felt that was the right decision, knowing the gravity of the offense committed by Jigawa Golden Stars. I was the first to condemn the LMC for not taking a decisive decision on this matter until Rivers United decided to petition the NFF on the matter.

My findings on this matter have now revealed so much and I will take my time to break them down in numbers.Rivers United letter to the NFF got to the office of the General secretary on the 21st of July 2021 but it was not until the 28th of July 2021, that the secrerariat informed the disciplinary committee of any such petition.

Once the committee got the letter, they took time to contact members and called for a meeting which was fixed for 10am of August 5, 2021

1. The meeting started at 10am and by 2.30pm today, the committee claimed that they had submitted their decisions to the secretariat, hoping that same will be released to the public before 4pm, which is the official kick-off time for midweek NPFL matches.

According to the committee, they are conscious of the fact that if this position comes out during or after the match, there was always going to be problem.

Unfortunately, the NFF sent out the release 30minutes into the first half of games when Kwara United was already cruising to victory.

As much as I support the decision to deduct 3 points and 3 goals from already relegated Jigawa Golden Stars, the timing of this decision has completely destroyed its beauty and has rendered it totally unacceptable and inconsequential.

Whether we like it or not, this decision has favored Rivers United at the expense of Kwara United, a team that had done everything right to win clean and clear on the pitch. The NFF and LMC must accept the blame once again for failing to act when it matters and should be bold to face the consequence of their actions or inactions.

The LMC must take responsibility because if they have done what they needed to do at the appropriate time ( knowing what is obtained in the rule book), we will not find ourselves in this logjam.

Kwara United have a good case to take to CAS or to any ordinary court if they feel cheated and want to seek redress in a court of competent jurisdiction. This is a pathetic end to a season that was almost ending on a good note.

We live in a clime where people take too many things for granted and our nonchalant attitude towards important issues have thrown our football into another unwanted crisis that may drag on forever.

It is unfortunate because this is avoidable and shouldn’t have happened. I feel sorry for Kwara united and I think they have a case to pursue if they think they want to do so.