The Nation Newspaper

Tag: venues

  • Amoo wants security beefed up at match venues

    Amoo wants security beefed up at match venues

    • Promises to beat Nasarawa Utd in Lafia

    Sunshine Stars’ head coach, Fatai Folorunsho Amoo has urged the League Management Company (LMC) to beckon on the home state football associations to take security of players and other officials seriously in the remaining matches of the season.
    The Akure Gunners are away to desperate Nasarawa United in Lafia today and Amoo has hinted that home clubs needed to be cautioned against win-at-all-costs so that the rest of the season games would go hitch-free.
    Amoo stated that fortification of the stadiums with adequate security devices would put all trouble makers in check and would ensure that the away team get their deserved results.
    “We couldn’t go to training on Friday morning despite the fact that we came on Thursday. We only had light training session in our hotel and we went for training at the stadium in the evening.
    “We have not experienced any harassment but I will appeal to the LMC to beg the state FAs to be security conscious at match venues in the remaining games. It has always been an issue having points away from home. This can be improved if security of match officials, players and the coaches is taken seriously.
    “We are in Lafia to fight for the maximum points and under a very conducive atmosphere, it is achievable,” Amoo told SportingLife.

  • CROWD VIOLENCE AT MATCH VENUES Lobi seek more protection for away teams

    CROWD VIOLENCE AT MATCH VENUES Lobi seek more protection for away teams

    Lobi Stars have called on the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) to ensure that away teams are protected from fan violence initiated by desperate supporters of home teams.

    The Makurdi-based side noted that violence by home fans could worsen if something is not done.

    Lobi’s media aide Jack Moses Ekwe Ekwe in a chat with NationSport said Lobi’s players, officials and the match arbiters were victims of assault allegedly by Gombe fans on Sunday because Gombe United didn’t pick all points as expected.

    He said the League Management Company (LMC) should ensure that home teams, the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) and the security outfits should provide adequate cover for players and officials of visiting teams.

    Ekwe said: ”Lobi Stars players and officials escaped Gombe United fans’ mayhem last Sunday at the Pantami Stadium and their transit camp at Kanem Hotel, Federal Low Cost, Gombe.

    “After we played a 2-2 draw against Gombe United, we were the target of hostile fans and we were lucky that no life was lost considering the magnitude of assorted missiles targeted at us before we had to take a quick dash to Bauchi.

    “I will implore the LMC to beckon on home clubs to take up the issue of security of lives of the visiting teams.

    “It is not ideal to lose players due to crowd violence.

    “The States’ FA and other security outfits should cooperate to ensure that the away teams do not suffer unnecessarily for what they do not have a hand in. We should make sure our league is used to attract investors.”

  • ‘How to lure fans to match venues’

    ‘How to lure fans to match venues’

    Samuel Ikpea, the Secretary, Nigeria Football and other Sports Supporters Club (NFSSC), on Tuesday suggested the distribution of company souvenirs at match venues, to attract spectators and fans to support the league.

    Ikpea, who spoke to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos, against the poor turn-out of spectators at league match venues, charged corporate bodies to support and improve the nation’s professional football league.

    “The only thing that the corporate bodies need to do is to liaise with the Board of the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL), to ensure the successful distribution of their souvenirs at match venues.

    “A survey by the supporters club had showed that corporate bodies had a lot to contribute to the growth of our league. Let the corporate bodies with their souvenirs, no matter how small, be at league match venues across the federation.

    “Let the corporate bodies, through the NPFL, announce that the first one or two hundred people to enter the venues will receive a T-shirt or other company’s souvenirs, you will marvel at the turn-out,“ he said.

    According to him, Nigerians are fond of running after free gifts, so the corporate bodies and the NPFL could use such gimmicks as inducements to lure fans to match venues.

    Ikpea said that the gimmicks would be an advertisement channel for corporate bodies already registered with the NPFL to support the league.

  • LASG paints houses around Teslim Balogun Stadium, other venues

    LASG paints houses around Teslim Balogun Stadium, other venues

    Residents of the Lagos State Property Development Corporation (LSPDC) estate adjacent to the Teslim Balogun Stadium in Surulere, Lagos have had their houses painted by the state government, ahead of the 18th National Sports Festival.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Games, tagged “Eko 2012,’’ will hold from Nov. 27 to Dec. 9.

    A check by NAN showed that houses on streets opposite the LSDPC estate, such as Ogunmola, were also similarly painted. The government is also painting and fumigating houses around the stadium and the other venues for the festival.

    The venues are: the University of Lagos, Akoka; the Yaba College of Technology and the Federal College of Education (Technical), Akoka. However, some of the residents have called on the government to ensure effective monitoring, to prevent the contractors from doing shoddy jobs.

    Mrs. Iyabo Balogun, a petty trader, who resides at Block 4 of the LSPDC housing estate, said: “Our houses are now very beautiful and our environment is fumigated; thanks to Eko 2012”.

    She said that she would like the Lagos State Government to continue to host Eko 2012 every year, so that the state government would continue to keep their neighbourhoods clean.

    Mrs. Kemi Ajose, a housewife residing in Block 3 of the LSPDC estate, said though painting of her building had yet to be completed, she was grateful to government for it. Ajose, however, expressed disgust with the painters whom she said, had skipped her building for the next block for some two days now.

    Another resident of Block 3, Mr. Alex Obi, said the contractor should be monitored by the government to ensure that he delivers a good job. He said the uneven nature of some of the paintings might derail the government’s plan of having a uniform outlook for the buildings during the Games.

    Omolara Williams, a resident of Ogunmola Street, told NAN that the house painting started on Friday.

    She said that she was happy with the development, which was in the spirit of Eko 2012.

    NAN reports that the painting of houses around the Games venues was part of government’s efforts to create awareness for the fiesta and to ensure that the neighbourhoods remained clean.