Ilaboya Faults LMC, B9ja Partnership

Former Edo FA Chairman, Hon. Frank Ilaboya, has declared that the League Management Company (LMC) and Bet9ja sponsorship partnership made public yesterday was a confirmation that the just concluded NNL Super 8 Playoff in Enugu was not only a sham, but a tournament for the highest bidder.

Ilaboya who represented the Edo State Deputy Governor, Rt Hon. Philip Shaibu at the Enugu playoff where Bendel Insurance lost out, insisted yesterday that the Enugu playoff was skewed to favor Remo Stars, a club that is owned by Kunle Soname, a director of Bet9ja.

In Ilaboya’s words “The Super 8 was remotely controlled by Remo Stars. On Soname’s insistence, the match officials for our match was changed three times. On Remo Stars insistence, the venue was changed. And all our protest fell on deaf ears.

“We even brought the matter before the Chairman of NNL, Senator Obinna Ogba, who himself witnessed the daylight injustice…but what did he do?

The only person who shared our pains is the CEO of NNL who actually showed sympathy and demanded that the officials which Remo Stars staged managed were changed for the sake of fairness. Are these the type of people that will make the league grow?

Continuing Ilaboya said, “When we raised eyebrows over what was happening in Enugu, some people felt Insurance had no basis to protest. Few days after all the fraud that played out in Enugu, you can now see that LMC has signed a deal with Bet9ja. This is to say the least, very sad. Our football can’t grow this way. This is a case of handing over a title to the highest bidder.

“In Enugu, the organizers of the Super 8 were remote controlled to ensure Remo qualify for the NPFL. This is disgusting,” Ilaboya stated.

The veteran journalist who is the immediate past executive chairman of Owan West LGA of Edo State insisted that the NFF must come out to investigate what happened in Enugu where the quartet of Niger Tornadoes, Gombe United, 3SC and Remo Stars gained promotion to the NPFL.

The Super 8 playoff was marred by poor officiating that at some point saw Bendel Insurance refusing to play their last game against Remo Stars.

It took NFF’s intervention for the Insurance, Remo to be played. Both sides settled for a 2-2 draw, a result that gave qualification ticket to Remo.