League
By Ijeoma Okigbo/Aderonke Ojo
Kabiru Sani, Coach of EFCC FC of Abuja, has blamed the team’s barren draw against neighbours FWC Champions FC, in the week three Group A1 tie, on poor officiating.
The local derby was full of physicality and arguably without skill, as both teams tried to outweigh the other in the ongoing Nigeria National League (NNL) match at the Area 3 Sports Complex, Abuja, on Friday.
A couple of times in the game, saw hosts EFCC beckon on the referee to award them penalty from a perceived foul, but referee Shamso Ali didn’t assent to it.
At the end of the game, a potential brawl was halted as fans claimed the referee wasn’t fair.
Thereafter, Sani, whose club now has four points after three games, said the team would have secured maximum three points, except for the referee’s inefficiency.
“This is a local derby and of course I didn’t expect the game to be easy.
“We were better than them although we had more chances but were unable to utilize them.
“In the game of football, if a goal doesn’t come in the run of play, it will come as penalty because of the pressure we mounted on our opponents.
“We had penalties that were disallowed and it is painful to have trained all week only to see your efforts thwarted by a referee. It is sad,” Sani added.
On his part, Coach Gideon David, head coach of FWC Champions FC said the officiating was fair.
David, whose team was featuring in the league for the first time and have earned a point from two matches, added that his team would improve on their scoring abilities.
“Referees are humans. I think the referee has a good knowledge of the game and he officiated well.
“We had a draw today. It’s not a bad one for us. The team is young and has a great future. We played against a very matured side but I thank God the players soaked up the pressure.
“We failed to utilize the chances we had in the first half, we will go back and work more on our scoring abilities,” he said.
Week four will see FWC Champions play hosts to El Kanemi Warriors of Maiduguri while EFCC is away to City FC of Abuja . (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)
