NPFL: Wikki Tourists, Sunshine Stars bicker over abandoned clash

The Match Day 1 game of the 2021/22 Nigeria Professional Football League season between Sunshine Stars of Akure and Wikki Tourists of Bauchi again failed to hold yesterday after it was rescheduled.

It will be noted that the game initially scheduled for Sunday could not hold after Wikki Tourists failed to complete their player registration formalities before the commencement of the league but the League Management Company (LMC) ruled that the game be played yesterday.

In an exclusive chat, the Wikki Tourists Secretary, Abdullahi Ibrahim said they were in Ijebu-Ode to honour the game but said their opponents were not on the field for the game.

“The officials came to the venue this evening and we waited for them, we dressed up and we couldn’t see Sunshine players. I looked at the match commissioner making calls, it was after I called the chairman of the appointment committee, Babagana Khali.

“He asked the officials to do what was right, which was to declare the game as ‘walk over’. If we could leave all the way from Bauchi to Ijebu-Ode even after the organisers said we should play the match the next day, we remained there while the hosts were absent,” he said.

This declaration was also contained in a statement signed by its media officers.

“WIkki Tourists FC has worked over Sunshine Stars of Akure in the postponed match day 2 (matchday 1) of the 2021/22 Nigeria Professional Football League season,” the statement said.

In the same vein, the media officer of Sunshine Stars, Chris Okunnuwa said the LMC didn’t write to them officially that the game was to be played yesterday.

“As you know, we were slated for Friday and yesterday and our opponents were not on ground. Nothing was communicated to us officially as regards the fixture. We are playing in Ijebu-Ode not our home ground in Akure and we have a certain number of days to spend based on the budget we have.

“We are being professional and we are not ready to join issues with anyone. When the LMC communicates to us, then we will know the next line of action,” he stated.

Meanwhile, the LMC as at the time of reporting this is yet to make an official statement on the abandoned match.