Emma Jegemah
The Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN) has condoled with the family of the late Chineme Martins, who slumped and died last Sunday, at the Lafia Township Stadium, during a Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) game between his team, Nasarawa United and visiting Katsina United.
In a statement signed by its Secretary General, Jude Opara, SWAN prayed that God gives those he left behind the fortitude to bear the huge loss.
“It is a shame that, at this age and time, there was no functional ambulance at the league venue, just as there were no trained medical personnel who could have rescued the situation immediately.
“It is rather regrettable that the league that has attracted billions of naira is being run in a ‘paddy paddy’ manner, to the extent that it only took the death of Martins for the League Management Company (LMC) and the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to pledge to enforce the same laws they put in place,” the statement said.
SWAN said the LMC and the NFF must insist that each of the 20 teams playing in the league submit the résumé of their medical team, which must include a doctor and commend the Sports Minister, Sunday Dare, for promptly reading the riot act to the NFF and the LMC.