• Lobi Stars
• Match Fixing
• NPFL

NPFL LAUNCHES INVESTIGATION INTO LOBI STARS MATCH-FIXING ALLEGATIONS

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  CapitalTimesNews / 1 week
• 0
• 2 min read

The Nigeria Premier Football League board has initiated an investigation into allegations of match-fixing and betting involving Lobi Stars, a relegation-threatened side and former league champions. Lobi Stars media officer Emmanuel Ujah accused the team’s players of match-fixing during an interview with Today 95.1FM Port Harcourt, expressing frustration with the club’s current league position. Ujah claimed that some players have been betting on games, specifically with Bet9ja, and fixing matches. “They have been betting at Bet9ja, fixing matches… They’ll ask people to bet that they’re scoring us two goals today, so go and bet,” Ujah said. He also alleged that even former player Daniel Amokachi had mentioned betting by players and officials in a meeting. However, one of the club’s players dismissed the allegations as baseless, blaming the team’s poor performance on management infighting. “Does he think the players are happy to go to the field and lose? They should check themselves. All these problems started when they began fighting over positions at the club,” the player said, requesting anonymity. NPFL Chief Operating Officer Davidson Owumi confirmed the investigation, stating, “We don’t want to give credence or credibility to those utterances without evidence, so we will invite the person who granted that interview.” The league has put structures in place to detect such activities and will conduct an internal inquest to get to the bottom of the issue. Lobi Stars have not won a match in 14 games, with their last victory dating back to December 14, when they beat Plateau United 1-0. They currently sit at the bottom of the table with 24 points after 31 games, struggling with coaching and facility issues. The team has had five coaches this season and has switched bases from Lafia to Bauchi and now Enugu.