Ebonyi State Governor Francis Nwifuru has condemned the attack on Sunday night on Sebastian Onwe, the referee of the final match of the 2023 Governor’s Cup competition.
He Nigerian News Agency (NAN) reports that players and supporters of the Ishielu Local Government Area team pounced on the referee after the match, chasing him around the stadium as he ran for his life.
The governor personally intervened to rescue the referee from the crowd that overpowered the security men who were trying to protect him.
Nwifuru, in his remarks during the award ceremony, condemned the act which he described as “disgraceful and disgraceful”.
“I didn’t expect the players to behave unprofessionally.
“Anyone who is unhappy with a referee’s decision should not go to him or her but complain to the relevant referees.
“The person will still receive a response and I am confident that with what the sports commissioner told me, we will not have a repeat of this type of violence,” he said.
The governor noted that to avoid such an incident, the referees for upcoming competitions will come from other states.
“No one or any team would know the referees of the match.
“However, the sports commissioner has shown his strength by organizing such a competition and we will continue to provide opportunities to empower and unite our youth,” he said.
new soccer team
The governor announced the creation of a football team for the state, but stressed that members would come from the state’s three senatorial districts.
“We would first select teams in the three districts and then select the best players to form the state premier team.
“They would be trained for a year and well equipped to excel at the highest level,” he said.
Nwifuru also increased the prize money for the victorious teams, noting that this was in recognition of the brave efforts of the players.
“The commissioner told me that the winners would receive N1 million but the government will add N2 million to make a total of N3 million.
“The runners-up were supposed to receive N700,000 but we would add N1.2 million to reach N1.9 million.
“The third place team would receive N500,000 but we would add N1 million to reach N1.5 million,” he said.
The state commissioner for youth development and sports, Richard Idike, thanked the governor for his presence at the final and congratulated the participants for their efforts.
“The management will take a decision on the attack on the referee because we are not known for such acts,” he said.
NAN reports that Ebonyi Local Government Area won the trophy by beating Ishielu 2-1, while Ohaozara Local Government Area came third by defeating Izzi 1-0 in the third place match.
YAYA