Leaked Document Implicates Kano Pillars in Match-Fixing Scandal
Opeyemi Oladunjoye
A new document has emerged alleging Nigerian football club, Kano Pillars have been involved in match-fixing.
The document was made available by an anonymous individual and confirms there is some truth in match-fixing rumours that has become rampant in the Nigerian premier league.
The document details the minutes of a meeting held by top officials of the Kano Pillars Football Club on May 4, 2014 to discuss the treatment of game officials in order to affect the outcomes of games – particularly away matches.
Some of those who were purportedly at the meeting include, Babangida Umar (Chairman), Bashiru Mua’zu (Secretary), Nasiru Bichi (Member), Ibrahim Feggae (Member).
According to the document, about N620,000 was distributed for draws at away matches and N820,000 for wins at away matches. The center referee would be allocated a sum of N300,000 for a draw and N500,000 for a win. The funds which were code-named “PR” according to the document were to be made available to the match officials to earn favorable results prior the match.
If found guilty of the allegations, the club risks being banned by CAF and FIFA from competitive matches.
