SPORTS: LMC Rules On The Result Of Enyimba, Niger Tornadoes Match

Tornadoes had filed a petition seeking to have three points and three goals awarded the club on the grounds that Enyimba fielded a player, Ikechukwu Ibenegbu that was suspended for the match following the accumulation of five yellow cards.

In their defense, Enyimba submitted that they did not intentionally field the player as the notice of suspension did not reach them. They also made references to similar incidences last season in which they alerted Nasarawa United in Makurdi that they were about to field a suspended Thomas Zenke and the player was dropped.

The LMC’s finding was that Tornadoes failed to raise the protest neither at the pre-match meeting nor at any point prior to the commencement of the match which would have established a case of intentionally fielding an ineligible player as envisaged under the relevant section of the rule,

According to a statement signed by Salihu Abubakar, the Chief Operating Officer of the LMC; "suspension notices are sent to both clubs involved in any match in question in order for disputes over eligibility of players to be addressed prior to the match. Note that where a protest is made against the eligibility of a player prior to a match and the other team insists on fielding such player, upon confirmation that the player was ineligible, it would likely be established that the team intentionally featured such a player as envisaged under Rule C5"