NPFL: LMC reassures refs

Chairman of the League Management Company (LMC), Shehu Dikko has restated that safety and welfare of all persons at match venues counts high and this includes that of Match Officials which he said is of paramount importance to the league body.
Dikko was clarifying the misconception contained in a letter to him by the President of the Nigeria Referees Association (NRA), Tade Azeez which suggested that the LMC neglected to order compensation for the Match Officials assaulted at the Sani Abacha Stadium by some misguided fans after the Match Day 18 fixture between Kano Pillars and Akwa United.
The LMC Chairman said it would be wrong to create an impression that assault on match officials has been a regular feature of the NPFL and pointed out that the incident in Kano was just the second on-field incident that affected match officials with the first being on Match Day 1 in Enugu in the match between Rangers International and Abia Warriors.
Dikko further corrected the erroneous impression that the compensation for the Match Officials assaulted in Kano on Sunday were not covered by the sanctions announced on Tuesday.
“This was indeed  the second charge in the Summary Jurisdiction notice issued Kano Pillars.
“We went ahead to fine Kano Pillars N1m for this breach and impose the payment of compensation of N250, 000 for each of the four match officials in addition to any verified medical cost that the injured officials may bring. This was contained in paragraph B of the Summary Jurisdiction notice issued to Kano Pillars”, Dikko further stated.
The LMC said it considers match officials and the NRA as partners in the organisation of the league and advised that all channels of communication existing between the two bodies should always be used, harping on the need to avoid public statements that tend to portray the league negatively.
Finally, Dikko assured the NRA President that the LMC will not relent in providing the right environment and atmosphere at match venues on match days to ensure that Referees discharged their responsibility without hindrance. To this end, additional security measures would be instituted at all match venues to ensure the right atmosphere at all matches.