Prisons FC threaten to withdraw from Nigeria National League

Zibiri Brown, the Head Coach of Prisons FC, says the Abuja-based club may withdraw from the Nigerian National League, even with 10 matches still outstanding in the competition.
Brown told the News Agency of Nigeria on Monday in Abuja the threat was due to “referees’ poor officiating” in some of the matches they have played.
He said the club was contemplating opting out of the league due to “unjust officiating by the referees”, saying: “It has made me lose the passion for the game.”
He said: “Some teams come to Abuja for away matches but usually get the kind of officiating that ensure that the referees favour them.
“It has happened in many matches, like when we hosted Wikki Tourists of Bauchi, Plateau United of Jos and Jigawa Golden Stars FC of Hadeija, and these teams have either drawn or beaten us here.
“This is why my club’s management has discussed and we have agreed to pull out of the league, because it seems that the league is for some certain group of people.
“It appears as if the referees are being influenced and if that is the case we can never move forward.
“When we go outside Abuja, we get the treatment an away team gets and that seems normal.
“But even on our own home ground, we still get treated like an away team.
“It is not fair and it is very painful.
“I used to have a big passion for the game, but the passion is dead now.
“We don’t have a sound league in Nigeria.”
The coach said some referees’ action suggests that they had decided a match’s outcome before it began, instead of waiting for the teams to play their game.
Brown said: “It is the referees who dictate the flow of the game.
“They know who is going to win even before the match is played and they know the scores of the game already.
“It is so obvious that the referees are not doing the right thing.
“We just want them to officiate the right way and I expect the NNL to look into this situation.
“It is not that we are threatening to pull out.
“We have pulled out already.”
Brown said the situation was further compounded by the club’s position on the league table with 10 matches still left in the season.
The club are down the league table with 15 points and have no hope of escaping relegation with the present position of other clubs in the league.
Brown added: “We have 15 points now with 10 matches to go and we are at the bottom position of the league.
“Many coaches still commend Prisons FC because we have good players and we are optimistic that we will be able to escape relegation.
“But only if the officiating is free and fair.
“Although, our next match is against Kwara United in Ilorin, I do not think that we are going to honour that match because we are fed up.”