Naija Super 8: Again, Sporting Lagos Fined for Refusal to Give Jerseys To Fans

About 24 hours after they were fined N200, 000 along with Katsina United in their clash for a slot in the ongoing Naija Super 8 football competition, Sporting Lagos have been fined by the same amount by the organisers, Flykite Productions.

The fine of another N200, 000 was announced in a statement issued on Friday shortly after Sporting Lagos had defeated Akwa United 2-1 at the Mobolaji Johnson Arena in Lagos to book a final spot against Remo Stars on Sunday.
The infraction, according to the organisers, was the same as in their clash yesterday with Katsina United, when both sets of players did not throw their jersey shirts to the crowd, as agreed with the organisers before the tournament.

Those who gave out jerseys did not do so randomly, but chose members of the crowd, who were suspiciously their friends, to give the jerseys to. An attempt by one of the organisers to correct Sporting Lagos forward, Junior Lokosa, was rebuffed by the player.

The organisers had in a letter to chairmen of participating clubs, had warned that clubs, whose fans breach the jersey throwing agreement, will face financial sanctions.

The letter, dated 11 July, was terse and direct.

“It was an unpleasant surprise to see Sporting Lagos players refuse to throw their jerseys to fans after being fined on Thursday. They have left us with no option than to impose another fine,” the statement read.

It noted that each club in the competition was paid a jersey subsidy for because the organisers wanted players to throw their shirts to the fans.

“As we stated earlier, the objective of Naija Super 8 is to rekindle affection for domestic club football, which we think jersey sharing will help accelerate.

“Clubs, whose players refuse to give jerseys to fans, are clearly not in tune with the objective and we find that unacceptable,” the statement concluded.