In a major blow to Shooting Stars Sports Club (3SC), the Nigerian Premier Football League (NPFL) disciplinary panel has handed down significant penalties following an incident that marred their Matchday 32 fixture against Ikorodu City at the Lekan Salami Stadium. The club is to pay a total fine of ₦3 million and an additional ₦2 million to Ikorodu City for damages to their bus after a security breach led to a violent attack on the visiting team’s supporters.
The incident occurred at the end of the match, where tensions between the two teams escalated, causing a chaotic scene. Fans of Shooting Stars were blamed for creating a volatile environment, which ultimately led to the assault on Ikorodu City’s contingent and the throwing of objects onto the pitch.
The disciplinary panel convened on Wednesday and found Shooting Stars guilty on all three counts related to the incident. The charges included:
- Failure to Provide Adequate Security: The club was found guilty of not ensuring proper security, allowing unauthorised persons to access restricted areas, and harassing the match officials. For this breach, the club was fined ₦1 million.
- Failure to Control Supporters: The club failed to ensure the proper conduct of their supporters, which directly resulted in the assault on the away team. The disciplinary panel imposed an additional N1 million fine on Shooting Stars for this misconduct.
- Throwing Objects on the Field: The third charge concerned the throwing of objects towards the field of play and the referees, which also violated the NPFL’s code of conduct. Shooting Stars was fined ₦1 million for this violation.
In total, the fines amount to ₦3 million, and the club is also required to pay Ikorodu City an additional ₦2 million for the damage caused to their bus during the incident.
As a result of the disturbances, the panel further ordered that the Lekan Salami Stadium be closed to fans for the remainder of the season. This means that Shooting Stars will be playing their home games behind closed doors until further notice, affecting both the team’s supporters and the overall atmosphere at their home fixtures.
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Shooting Stars now has 48 hours to either accept the ruling or appeal the decisions. If they choose to accept the ruling, they will be bound by the penalties and restrictions set forth by the disciplinary panel.
The ruling highlights the NPFL’s firm stance on maintaining discipline, proper conduct, and safety at football matches, while also emphasising the need for clubs to manage the behaviour of their supporters to prevent such incidents from tarnishing the reputation of Nigerian football.
Shooting Stars’ failure to uphold these standards serves as a cautionary tale for other clubs in the league, underlining the importance of ensuring safety and order both on and off the field.
