The Nationwide League One (NLO) has come under criticism after ordering the completion of an aborted promotional playoff match despite allegations that one of the teams unilaterally abandoned the fixture in apparent violation of the league’s own regulations.
The decision followed Saturday’s controversial playoff between Yewa Football Academy (Yewa FA) and FC Ebedei at the Akure Township Stadium, where play was halted after a serious collision left Yewa goalkeeper Olalere Ridwan unconscious.
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While the NLO described the incident as a case of force majeure and ordered the remaining minutes of the match to be completed at a neutral venue in Lagos on Tuesday, Yewa FA insists the league’s ruling effectively rewards a club that walked off the pitch without authorisation.
In an official communication dated 27 June and signed by the league’s Chief Operating Officer, Olushola Ogunnowo, the NLO said the match would resume from the exact point at which it was interrupted, with the same scoreline, minute and officiating team.
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The league expressed sympathy for the injured players and stated that the fixture had been stopped due to the unfortunate incident, which required urgent medical attention.
“The remaining minutes of the match shall be completed to determine a definitive winner of the play-off,” the letter stated.
However, Yewa FA has rejected the decision, arguing that the match was not abandoned due to the injury but rather because FC Ebedei voluntarily withdrew from the game despite there being no directive from the referee or match commissioner.
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Yewa FA’s narrative of the incident has since been corroborated by reports of the match by officials – the match commissioner and referees.
‘They walked away’
According to a petition submitted to the NLO by Yewa FA Chairman, Mojeed Ibrahim, the collision occurred around the 40th minute when the Yewa goalkeeper and FC Ebedei striker Kehinde Abdulquadri challenged for the ball.
The goalkeeper reportedly lost consciousness and received emergency treatment before being taken to the hospital.
Mr Ibrahim said that while medical personnel were still attending to the player, FC Ebedei owner, Churchill Oliseh, allegedly instructed his players to leave the pitch.
He maintained that neither the referee nor the match commissioner ordered the game to be abandoned.
“Not only did FC Ebedei players leave the field of play, they exited the stadium entirely while the referees, match officials and Yewa Football Academy players remained on the pitch ready to continue the match upon conclusion of the medical situation,” the petition stated.
Yewa FA further argued that its reserve goalkeeper had already been cleared to replace the injured player and that the team was prepared to continue once play resumed.
Rule allegedly ignored
Central to Yewa FA’s protest is Rule 4.12(4) of the NLO Rules and Regulations, which the club says clearly prescribes forfeiture if a team disrupts a match for more than five minutes.
According to the club, the rule provides that the offending team should lose the match by three goals and three points—or by the prevailing scoreline if higher—where the disruption is caused by its actions.
The club argues that FC Ebedei’s decision to leave the stadium without authorisation falls squarely within that provision and should have resulted in forfeiture rather than a replay or continuation.
Yewa also cited what it described as a recent precedent involving Jaguar FC and Abakaliki Feeders, where the league reportedly awarded three points and three goals to the non-offending team following a disrupted fixture.
It argued that applying a different standard in the current case undermines consistency and confidence in the league’s disciplinary processes.
‘Not force majeure’
In a separate letter rejecting the NLO’s decision, Yewa FA disputed the league’s classification of the incident as a force majeure event.
The club argued that although the goalkeeper’s injury was unfortunate, it did not make the continuation of the match impossible.
Instead, it maintained that the only reason the fixture could not continue was FC Ebedei’s decision to withdraw from the field and leave the stadium.
“It is therefore incorrect to classify this situation as force majeure,” the club wrote.
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“The disruption did not arise from circumstances beyond control that made continuation impossible. Rather, it resulted from the deliberate and unauthorised decision of one team to discontinue participation.”
The club urged the NLO to reverse its decision, apply Rule 4.12, and officially award the match to Yewa FC.
Questions over league integrity
The controversy has raised broader concerns over consistency in the application of football regulations.
Under widely accepted football principles, only the referee has the authority to stop a match, while clubs are expected to continue playing unless instructed otherwise by match officials.
Where a team refuses to resume play or leaves the field without authorisation, disciplinary bodies commonly impose sanctions ranging from forfeiture to fines and suspensions.
Critics argue that by ordering the fixture to resume instead of determining whether FC Ebedei breached the competition’s rules, the NLO risks setting a precedent that could encourage clubs to abandon matches without facing the consequences prescribed by the regulations.
As of the time of filing this report, FC Ebedei had not publicly responded to Yewa FA’s allegations or the protest against the NLO’s decision.
The resumed playoff is scheduled for Tuesday at the Maracana Stadium, Ajegunle, Lagos, unless the league reviews its ruling before kickoff. But it is unclear whether Yewa FA would show up to continue the match after protesting the NLO’s decision.
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