The Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) has come down heavily on Katsina United FC, wielding a massive financial and operational hammer following violent incidents that marred their Matchday 10 fixture against Barau FC.
In a decisive move, the league body has imposed a total fine of Nine Million Naira (N9,000,000) on the club and ordered them to play all their remaining home matches behind closed doors at the New Jos Stadium, effectively banning their fans for the foreseeable future.
The disciplinary action stems from a series of breaches during the 1–1 draw this past Saturday. The NPFL, in a statement released on Sunday, cited a catastrophic failure by the club to provide adequate security, which led to unauthorized persons accessing restricted areas. The situation escalated as supporters hurled objects onto the pitch, resulting in injuries to Barau FC players.
“The club failed to ensure proper conduct of their supporters, leading to the harassment of Barau FC players and match officials,” the NPFL stated, adding that the chaos brought the league into disrepute.
The breakdown of the N9 million fine includes N3 million for supporter misconduct, N2 million for inadequate security, and N4 million in compensation for injured players, damages to the away team’s buses, and for the detention of visiting officials.
This sanctions follow a disturbing report that Barau FC player, Nana Abraham, sustained a neck wound after being attacked by fans shortly after he scored his team’s equalizing goal in the 69th minute. Photographs from the match confirmed the player bleeding as officials rushed to his aid.
This development directly contradicts Katsina United’s initial statement, which had denied all reports of violence and player injury, describing them as “baseless” and threatening legal action against media houses that published the allegations.
