From Bola Ogunlayi, Ibadan
The Shooting Stars Football Club of Ibadan and the Oyo State Football Association on Sunday at the Lekan Salami stadium took their pound of flesh from Journalists who came for the coverage of the match between them and the visiting Plateau United Football Club of Jos.
The match was a Nigeria ProfessionalFootball League (NPFL) week 31 match between the two sides as the Shooting Stars which are in the 13th position are at home against the visitors.
The visitors are in the second position of the match being organized by the League Management Company (LMC).
In a show of shame,Journalists who converged at the main entrance gate of the Stadium were completely ignored by the overzealous Shooting’s Gate men,leveraging on the disappearance from the glaring eyes of Sports writers trying to gain entrance to cover the game.
The Policemen at the Gate said they were instructed not to open the gate for any Journalists .
To worsen the situation,all those who planned against the Journalists, as lose as some of them were in terms of relationships, switched off their Handset.
Repeated calls to many of them did not go through.
About eight Journalists went back home after all efforts made to have access to the main bowl of the Stadium failed including, the Oyo State Correspondent of Time Magazine,Bola Ogunlayi
Recalled that the Oluyole Warriors are currently serving a three match spectator ban due to the assault on Journalist ,Tobi Samuel by irate fans of the team who accused him of being in company of officials of visiting Remo Stars of Ikenna during the week 30 match played at the main bowl of the Lekan Salami Stadium two weeks ago.
Media Officer Tosin Omojola and Kit Manager, Kolawole Majolagbe were each given a one year match ban for instigating the assault with their utterances.
Shooting Stars were fined a sum of five hundred naira to be paid to the assulted Journalist, three million naira to the LMC for failing to provide security and also a suspended three point deduction which will be effective in the event of future violence by their fans in the league.
3sc also risk a banishment away from Ibadan if fans engage in future violence.
However a call to the Oyo FA and the Chairman of the team Honorable David Babatunde Olaniyan later did go through but the responder claimed he was holding the phone for him.
The affected Journalists who condemned the Shooting Stars Management decision said the LMC could not have equated Journalists with the Fans accused unruly behaviour.
They vowed to take the matter up to the League Management.
They reasoned that it was not the first time the Sports Club will be handed close door matches with Journalist allowed to cover the matches.
“For the Sport Writers to be so dishonoured by the 3sc Management left so much to be desired “,the Journalists wondered.