Nigerian Players And Officials Receive Life Bans Over 'Scandalous' Goalfests

Nigerian Players And Officials Receive Life Bans Over 'Scandalous' Goalfests
Nigerian players celebrate with the crowd after their 2014 African Nations Championship (CHAN) qualification football match against Ivory Coast on July 6, 2013 in Kaduna. Nigeria defeated Ivory Coast 4 - 1. AFP PHOTO/PIUS UTOMI EKPEI (Photo credit should read PIUS UTOMI EKPEI/AFP/Getty Images)
Nigerian players celebrate with the crowd after their 2014 African Nations Championship (CHAN) qualification football match against Ivory Coast on July 6, 2013 in Kaduna. Nigeria defeated Ivory Coast 4 - 1. AFP PHOTO/PIUS UTOMI EKPEI (Photo credit should read PIUS UTOMI EKPEI/AFP/Getty Images)
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Players and officials from amateur clubs involved in two matches which yielded a total of 146 goals have received life bans from Nigeria's football federation.

Plateau United Feeders annihilated Akurba 79-0 and Police Machine crushed Babayaro 67-0 in third division promotion play-offs earlier this month. Both winning teams needed to vastly improve their goal difference in order to progress.

Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) vice-president Mike Umeh said on Monday: "The investigation showed that all the players and officials of the four teams were involved in the shameful act.

"It was embarrassing that in one of the games, a player scored 11 times while in the other, four goals were scored within a minute and a player scored three own-goals in a match."

Feeders scored 72 goals in the second half of their game and Police Machine netted 61 times after the interval, which prompted the NFF's investigation.

"All the players and officials of the four clubs involved in the two matches including all the technical and administrative staff who led them to the play-off in Bauchi are banned for life," Umeh added.

"The captain of Akurba FC, Arijide Said Timothy, who scored three own-goals against his team is believed to have been the arrowhead in the scandalous result. Thus, we recommend his ban from all football activities for life.

"The match officials consisting of the entire centre referees and their assistants and match commissioners for the two matches are also banned for life for not living up to their responsibility and allowing the game to be brought into disrepute. The four clubs ... are banned for a period of 10 years."

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