Nigeria's third division League ban 2 Clubs for Match Fixing

The management of Nigeria's third-tier league, Nationwide League One (NLO), has banned the players and officials of Kaduna-based ABU Workers FC and Ambassador FC over match-fixing.

Pulse Sports reported that the league will start on Wednesday, May 3rd, with the curtain raiser, a Kano Derby between Kano Pillars Jnr and Kwankwasiya FC at the Sani Abacha Stadium in Kano, which ended in a draw.

ABU workers humiliated their opponents, Ambassador FC 8-0, in one of the fixtures, which raised a red flag and forced NLO to go into investigation.

The league banned the players and officials not to involve in any football related (NLO) for two years and fined each clubs five hundred thousand Naira.

According to NLO, "The Nationwide League One Secretariat received the match officials report on the above stated match played on Saturday 13th May 2023 in Zaria.

"In order to preserve the integrity of the beautiful game of football in Nigeria and to encourage sponsors, the relevant aspect of the regulations shall be applied fully.

"This follows a a clear evidence of match fixing after the league body concluded their investigation which was also confirmed by the match officials.

"The result of the match was cancelled, all the players in both teams' lists and all officials of both teams have been banned for two years.

"Each team was fined N500,000. The decision according to the NLO was in line with the guiding rules and regulations of Nationwide League One (Article 4.17)."

Meanwhile, NLO commended the match commissioner, Abdulahi Mohammed, and the center referee, Innocent Sunday Ogbole, for protecting the game and reporting the incidents.