Northern Nigeria’s formidable outfit, Kano Pillars have been fined N1million by the Nigeria Premier League. The decision was taken on Monday following the encroachment of fans into the pitch during the MatchDay 4 fixture against Rivers United.
In another development, Heartland of Owerri were issued a stern warning to curb restive acts of their supporters and advised to organise reorientation for the supporters to inculcate in them the spirit of fair play.
The Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) reached the respective decisions conveyed in separate Summary Jurisdiction notices announced on Monday.
Kano Pillars supporters were found to have jumped the barriers onto the field of play to celebrate their 93rd minute goal in the encounter at the Sani Abacha Stadium.
After reviewing reports from the match officials, the NPFL charged the club with a breach of Rule B13.18.
The club was consequently ordered to pay the fine within 14 days and warned that failure to comply within the stipulated time would be considered a continuous breach of the NPFL Framework and Rules.
For Heartland, the NPFL in the memo with the heading: MatchDay 4 Disturbances, expressed reservations over the behaviour of the fans in holding back the players and Officials at the stadium after the match.
“It has come to our attention that some irate Supporters of your club held players and Officials hostage after the match, making it difficult for them to exit the stadium premises until a detachment of security operatives arrived as reinforcement.
“Such behaviour is unacceptable and tarnishes the reputation of both Heartland and the NPFL”, read the memo signed by Davidson Owumi, the Chief Operating Officer.
The Owerri-based club was admonished to curb such behaviour by organising orientation workshop for the Supporters on the Spirit of Fair Play best practices.