Absent again in Ilorin

Giwa Football Club of Jos on Wednesday in Ilorin failed to show up against Enyimba International FC of Aba for a 2015/2016 Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) fixture.

The Match Day 18 fixture was the third consecutive home match the club were missing in Ilorin.  The Kwara State Sports Stadium in Ilorin was new venue the club were banished  by the League Management Company (LMC).

This  followed an infraction by the club’s fans during their home tie against Rangers International FC, when they disrupted and caused the match to be stopped after 74 minutes.

Since being sanctioned by the LMC, Giwa FC have refused to play in Ilorin but have attended their away matches.

Wednesday’s tie which they shunned was the third match the Jos-based clubside have failed to honour this season and may lead to their being relegated from the NPFL by the LMC.

NAN reports that relegation to the lower division is according to LMC’s rules, and stated in article 13.28 of its framework.

“If a club fails to honour three matches cumulatively within the league season without an acceptable reasons to LMC, such a club shall be expelled from the league and its matches played and unplayed shall be cancelled,’’ the rule states.

On Wednesday in Ilorin, the match’s centre referee Dele Atoun called off the match at 4.30 p.m, after fulfilling all “walk-over’’ formalities.

This was necessary in view of the absence of players and officials of Giwa FC, who had not shown up for the pre-match meeting earlier on Wednesday morning.

Meanwhile, NAN has obtained a copy of a letter written by Giwa FC accepting to play the match against Enyimba but not in Ilorin.

The five-paragraph letter was signed by the Secretary of the club, Samson Adamu, and dated May 17.

The letter asked LMC to reschedule the game, while the club promised to do their best to uphold the integrity of the league for the good of the game.