Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) side Yobe Desert Stars have been fined a total of 4.25 million naira and a suspended three points deduction following crowd violence at their home ground after last weekend’s league game against Kwara United.
The Northerners will also play their next home game behind closed doors after referee Prince Isaiah was assaulted at full time at the Damaturu Stadium with the Match Day 19 game between both sides ending goalless.
Organisers of the NPFL, the League Management Company (LMC) in a summary jurisdiction notice served the club late on Friday night fined Yobe Desert Stars one million nairas for their fans’ behaviour in throwing objects onto the field of play, with another one million nairas fine incurred for encroachment by fans after the match.
Furthermore, Yobe Stars were fined one million nairas for endangering the lives of match officials by the act of inadequate security while the club were also fined one million nairas for the assault on the referee by some of the club’s designated officials including persons dressed in steward jackets. The other 250,000 nairas fine will be paid for the medical treatment of the assaulted referee.
Coached by Mohammed Baba Ganaru with a retired FIFA referee Abubakar Aogo as the club supremo, Yobe Desert Stars will play their next home game against FC Ifeanyiubah behind closed doors while a suspended two-game stadium ban awaits them should a repeat of Sunday’s occurrence happen.
In the same vein, being a first-time offender, Yobe Desert Stars escaped the three-points deduction punishment meted out to Sunshine Stars and most recently Heartland earlier this season but they have been told that the three-point deduction sentence will come into play given a repeat of crowd disturbance at their venue.
Yobe Desert Stars travel to Kwara United on Sunday in the reverse fixture of last Sunday’s game as the 2017/18 NPFL season reaches its second stanza.
