The chairman of Gombe State Football Association and member of the Nigeria National League (NNL) board, Hon. Yakubu Sarma, has called on clubs in the NNL to instil discipline into their fans to avoid heavy sanctions.
Last week, the board of the NNL announced that the second round of the 2023/2024 season will resume in the first week of March.
The second tier of Nigeria professional league went on midseason break on January 22 but had two weeks extension which according to the NNL chairman George Aluo was to allow the clubs tidy up the registration of their new signings.
Speaking ahead of resumption, Sarma who is also the chairman of NNL Disciplinary Committee said in the first round, no fewer than 10 clubs were sanctioned for different infractions of the NNL Framework and rules.
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He said there would be zero tolerance for acts of indiscipline in the second round so clubs should discipline their fans as any act of indiscipline would be met with the appropriate sanctions.
According to Sarma, the NNL would provide a level playing ground for all the participating clubs to win fairly.
“The first round witnessed a near perfect organisation but we had not fewer than 10 clubs that were sanctioned for different offences.
“In the second round, we are going to be stricter than we were in the first round. Justice delayed is justice denied so we won’t hesitate to mete out punishments to offenders.
“There is going to be a level playing field for all the teams. If you play well, you can even win away from home. They must also encourage their fans to be of good behaviour,” said Sarma.
