NRA withdraws from matches in Delta state

> The General Secretary
> Nigeria Football Federation
> Abuja
>
> NOTIFICATION OF WITHDRAWAL FROM ALL NATIONAL FOOTBALL MATCHES PLAYED IN DELTA STATE
>
> 1.With due respect, it is our humble pleasure to bring to your notice that the NRA has concluded arrangements to henceforth avoid officiating matches played in any stadium in Delta state.
>
> 2.The matches to be boycotted includes the Nigeria Professional Football League, NPFL, the Nigeria National League, NNL, the Nigeria Nation-Wide League, NNWL, One and Two and the Nigeria Women League, NWL.
>
> 3.This decision is coming against the backdrop of persistent physical attacks and unwarranted assaults meted to our members at various stadia in Delta since the beginning of this season. Smarting from the orgy of violence witnessed in Warri Township Stadium few weeks ago where our referees escaped death by whiskers, the lives of another quartet of referees who handled the National League match between Delta Force FC and Remo Stars of Ijebu at the Ogwashi Ukwu Stadium, Delta State were almost cut in their prime due to severe injuries sustained after retinue of attacks from Delta Force Club officials and supporters.
>
> 4.Reports available to us have it that after the match ended goalless, hell was let loose as the home side almost fulfilled their threat that the referees will not go home alive if they did not win the match. Moments after the match ended, the home team exploited the absence of a strong security presence to unleash mayhem on the referee, his two assistants and the fourth official, thereby leaving them in the pool of their own blood after handing them several degrees of death threatening injuries. It is by the special grace of God that the attacked referees are alive to recount their ordeal in the hands of the Delta Force FC officials and home side supporters. Apart from giving them handful of maltreatment, the match officials were dragged to police in the area like common street criminals by identifiable club officials of Delta Force FC who levelled phantom allegations against them before the police. Even as the wounded officials could not receive medical attentions, the club officials continued their onslaught with renewed attack on the referees at the hotel premises as if the initial nightmarish experience was not enough. The referees managed to escape from the hotel to safety the next day before they could leave Delta state alive.
>
> 5.It would be recalled that few weeks ago, NRA members who handled the NPFL league match involving Warri Wolves of Warri at Warri Township Stadium, Delta state, experienced a similar bestial acts in the hands of the club officials and supporters after the failed to win against Wikki Tourists of Bauchi. In the week 26 Warri encounter, the Referees, including the Referees Assessor were brutally hit by riotous supporters of the Warri side. The quantum of attack meted on the referees were enormous to the extent that the Assistant Referee 2 got missing in the process but was lucky to be rescued later the next day. The aggressive supporters also besieged their hotel premises but for few spirited persons who came to their rescue, the story would have been different.
>
> 6. In view of the above, it has become imperative to intimate your office of this arrangement as a proactive measure to ensure safety of referees as no match is worth the life of any referee in Nigeria. Our members shall not always be the sacrificial lamb of Nigeria football where club officials and supporters always vent their anger on our active referees when results of matches do not favour them.
>
> 7.Therefore, you may wish to kindly use your good office to inform the various bodies and offices in charge of NPFL, NNL, NNWL, and NWL, to change match venues scheduled to hold in Delta state to other states to avoid further pummeling of referees that may likely lead to death.
>
> 8. Once again, we want to use this opportunity to reassure the Federation of our continued resolve to add to the improvement of Nigeria football through quality handling of matches  anchored on the tripod vision of free, fair and firm officiating. The NRA shall neither succumb nor be distracted by  brutish antics of clubs in sticking to the Laws of the Game in the course of discharging our duties.
>
> Anticipating Your Utmost Support in this regard.
>
> Yours in the Whistle
> Tade Azeez
> National President
>
> Cc: The President, NFF
>
> Cc:  The Vice President
>         NFF
> Cc:  The Chairman
>         LMC
>
> Cc: The Chairman
>         NFF Referees Committee
>
> Cc:  The Secretary/Organiser
>          NNL
>
> Cc:  The Secretary/Organiser
>          NNWL
>
> Cc :  The Secretary/Organiser
>            NWL
>
> Cc:  The State Chairman
>          Delta FA
>
Cc:   The State FA Secretary

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DREAM TEAM STRANDED IN USA

For the third time, Nigeria Olympic team failed to fly out from their training base in Atlanta, Georgia, in the United States of America, for the Rio Olympics in Brazil.

Players and team officials have been left dazed and frustrated as they also worry the team will suffer jet-lag by the time they finally land in Brazil.

Officials have now said they now hope on a chartered flight to take them directly to the Brazilian city of Manaus, where they will play their first two matches against Japan and Sweden.

They open their campaign on Friday against Japan by 2am Nigerian time.

The flight time between the two cities is around eight hours.

The team were due to fly out to Brazil by Tuesday afternoon, but again the team’s ticketing problems persisted.

The Dream Team VI were originally to have departed for Brazil on July 29.

This was then shelved to Monday, August 1, before yesterday’s departure date.

They are the responsibility of the sports ministry and Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC), but sports minister Solomon Dalung recently came out to say he was unaware of the team’s programme for the Olympics.

Source: Football galore