The chairman of Akwa United Football Club, Mr. Joseph Eno, has launched a scathing attack on what he describes as the ‘monster’ of biased officiating plaguing the Nigerian National Football League (NNFL).
Mr. Eno claims that his club, currently leading the league by a mere two points at the end of the first half of the 2025/26 season, would have accumulated a significantly larger points tally were it not for the “fraudulent referees” and “bad officiating” that have allegedly cost his team vital points.
In an interview with journalists in Uyo, a visibly incensed Mr. Eno reviewed Akwa United’s performance ahead of the second phase of the league. He highlighted the substantial efforts made to strengthen the team, which was relegated from Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) at the close of last season. With robust backing from the Akwa Ibom State government, the Commissioner for Sports, Elder Paul Bassey, and the club’s management board, the team has been “heavily fortified in all departments.” Mr. Eno specifically praised the “technical ingenuity and logistics” provided as a crucial morale booster for the players.
However, his satisfaction was overshadowed by profound regret over what he perceives as a consistent pattern of unfair officiating. He lamented that the team had been “robbed through bad officiating,” forcing them to “drop some vital points.”
Mr. Eno revealed that the club is not prepared to let the matter rest. A state delegation is set to table a formal petition before the upcoming Club Owners Association meeting, scheduled to take place in Lagos in the near future, to address these serious concerns.
