By George Aluo
Veteran sports journalist and a former board member of Nigeria Football Association, Fan Ndubuoke has declared that the nation’s soccer governing body, NFF must impose heavy sanction on the centre referee, Folusho Ajayi, that handled last weekend’s abandoned league opener between Kano Pillars and FC IfeanyiUbah .
The League organisers, LMC had on Tuesday referred the referee’s case to the NFF, even as it imposed a N9.3m fine on FC IfeanyiUbah .
Ndubuoke in a chat with Daily Sunsports noted that the referee was the architect of the Kano show of shame and as such should not be spared. He noted that if the NFF fails to punish the referee, other men and women in black would be emboldened to mess up other league matches.
“Some of us are waiting to see what sanctions would be meted out to the referee. The LMC needs to be given a pat on the back for hitting hard on FC IfeanyiUbah for bringing the game to disrepute. The referee must also not go unpunished,” Ndubuoke said.
The seasoned football buff further warned that the LMC must do something about officiating if the gains made so far in re branding the league must not be eroded.
“Our league is getting better no doubt about that, but officiating remains a big source of worry. The LMC must act on this or lose all the grounds they have gained. Last season the story was the same, especially towards the end of the season. Things must not continue that way,” Ndubuoke said.
