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By Amaechi Agbo

It appears there is no love lost between two most successful Nigerian club sides, Rangers International Football Club of Enugu and Enyimba International Football Club of Aba, Abia States as the two Nigeria Professional Football League, NPFL giants are set to be engulfed in legal battle unless the needful is done, www.bestchoicesports.com.ng can report.

Rangers threat is contained in a letter it sent to the People’s Elephant alleging that the eight-time NPFL champions are sponsoring the publication of ‘malicious stories’ in the media to smear its image.

In the letter dated March 9th, 2022 a copy of which is made available to our correspondent, the management of the Flying Antelopes noted that Enyimba planted reporters to write ‘malicious stories’ over their (Rangers’) 2-0 win against them in the 2020/2021 NPFL season in Enugu.

In the letter sent to Enyimba in which the League Management Company, LMC and the
Nigeria Referees Association, NRA were copied and signed by Rangers Head of Legal Unit, Obiora Obuna Esq, Rangers wondered why and how Enyimba could start a campaign of calumny in a match that have been decided and the NRA reviewed the performance of Referee Adebimpe Quadri who awarded two second half penalties to Rangers both of which were converted as professional.

Rangers expressed disgust on the approach of Enyimba over a match that have been concluded and the centre referee given a clean bill of health for a good officiation.

Below is the content of the letter received.

9th March, 2022

The General Manager,
Enyimba FC,
Aba,
Abia State.

Sir,

SPURIOUS MALIGNING AND DISPARAGING OF THE PRISTINE INTEGRITY
OF RANGERS INTERNATIONAL FC BY YOUR CLUB

Our attention has been drawn to the publications on social media and other media attributed to your Club. In the said publication, you purported that in the 2020/2021 Football season, that one Referee Haruna Qadri gave Rangers International Football Club ‘ cheap ’ victory against your Club by issuing two(2) penalties to the team in our Home Match against your club.

It is pertinent to recall that after the said match last season, your club wrote a petition to the Nigerian Referee’s Association (NRA) seeking a review of the penalties awarded to our Club by Referee Haruna Qadri . The NRA after due and diligent review of the penalty calls, found that both penalties were genuine and warranted.

We were thoroughly aghast,embarrased and amazed when we saw and read the above mentioned malicious publications circulated by your Club which made us to wonder whether Enyimba Football Club is no longer bound by the decision of the Nigerian Referees Association (NRA) who reviewed and authenticated the awarded penalties as genuine and warranted in the circumstances.

The Nigerian Referees Association having reviewed and confirmed that the penalty calls were genuine should have put an end to every complaint concerning the said award of penalties in line with rules of civility.

The action of your Club in publishing the falsehoods in the media is a malicious attempt at damaging and disparaging the pristine, untainted and impeccable image of Rangers International Football Club.

It is pertinent to mention at this juncture that we have never in history as a Football Club been involved or indicted of any scandal of match related fraud in whatever guise.

It is worthy of special note that the same Referee Haruna Qadri officiated Enyimba Football Club’s match against Dakkada Football Club in Uyo towards the end of last season and Enyimba FC got the maximum points in that away encounter.

The points enabled Enyimba to bag a continental ticket! The referee was unbiased in that game because Enyimba FC was victorious. In a twist of event, Rangers lost at home to Enyimba in the first match of this season and Rangers did not cry wolf! It is unprofessional and unacceptable for Enyimba FC to continue to malign the integrity of Rangers and that of Referee Haruna Qadri in a manner that suggests bad faith based on a match that took place early last season.

This unprofessional posture has left us wondering whether Enyimba Football Club is now dressed in a garb of a bad loser that have lost the spirit of sportsmanship!

We therefore request that you retract all the said damaging media publications and tender an unreserved apology to Rangers International FC forthwith. Failure to so do will leave us with no other option than to take all necessary legal action against Enyimba FC to clear the corporate image of Rangers that has been besmirched and this we shall do without further recourse to you.

As always, please be assured of our best sporting regards.

Yours faithfully,

Obiora Obuna Esq
Head, Legal Unit
Rangers Management Corporation, Enugu.
Cc:
League Management Company
Nigeria referees Association (End of the letter)

Efforts to speak with Enyimba International FC Chairman, Felix Anyansi Agwu were unsuccessful as his mobile phone was switched off at the time of this report.