The League Management Committee (LMC) says it has deducted three points from Kano Pillars and suspended some match officials for one year from all football-related activities.

This it said was following the improper conduct of the club as well as the match officials in a Match Day 31 fixture involving hosts Kano Pillars FC and Dakkada Int’l FC.

A statement by Ademola Olajire, Director of Communications at the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), quoted the NFF Disciplinary Committee as saying that the acts perpetuated by the officials were capable of bringing the game to disrepute.

A former chairman of Kano Pillars FC, Suraj Yahaya, had assaulted Assistant Referee 1, Daramola Olalekan, during the course of the match.

This was after match officials awarded a goal scored by Dakkada Int’l FC in the dieing minute of play to level scores at 1-1 in the rescheduled NPFL match at the Sani Abacha stadium.

Immediately after the goal was scored via Edidiong Ezekiel’s diving header from a free kick, Yahaya reportedly ran towards the Assistant Referee one and punched him in the face.

The action by Yahaya further instigated violent disruptions from Pillars club officials and some fans who illegally gained entrance into the stadium for the game.

In the face of growing tension and threats, the assistant referee, who had earlier confirmed the goal, made a U-turn after over 23 minutes of impasse.

The LMC official at the venue wasn’t spared with his iPad broken as well as a camera, Sony HD Full HD 1920×1080, belonging to Dakkada Int’l FC.

This was not the first time Kano Pillars was involved in such cases of violence and hooliganism as it had been a recurring phenomenon by the club.

The NFF Disciplinary Committee after its findings said it found Kano Pillars guilty of failing to control its officials and ensure proper conduct during the match.

It recalled that the LMC in its summary jurisdiction of April 17,  in a matchday 23 fixture between Kano Pillars FC and Katsina United FC, had imposed a sanction of forfeiture of three points accruing to the club in the event of any similar breach.

In the case, there was loss of property or valuables which they failed to implement.

It also noted that the match official, in spite of the purported threat, had no justification to have retracted or withdrawn his decision after recognising the goal scored by Dakkada Int’l FC as legitimate.