Kwara United have been charged for providing false information which led to a fixture adjustment that disrupted the live television broadcast schedule of the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) Matchday 31.
In a two-count summary jurisdiction, the Ilorin-based club was charged for breach of Rule C1.1 and B6.23, attracting a total fine of N6 million.
Kwara United caused their scheduled Matchday 31 fixture against Akwa United to be moved from Saturday, April 20 to Sunday, April 21, citing a letter that claimed that the Kwara State government had planned an event at the stadium.
It turned out that there was no such activity by the state government at the stadium which rather hosted a lower league fixture.
The first charge contained in Form 16 of the Summary Jurisdiction notice dated April 22, reads, “You are in breach of Rule C1.1 of the Frameworks and Rules of the Nigeria Premier Football League, on Thursday 18 April 2024, before your Match Day 31 Fixture: Kwara United FC vs. Akwa United FC.
“You brought a late application for the rearrangement of the fixture outside of the prescribed time for making such applications, basing your application on a lie and relying on falsified documents, an act capable of bringing the game to disrepute.”
The second charge reads, “You are in breach of Rule B6.23 of the Frameworks and Rules of the Nigeria Premier Football League, on Thursday 18 April 2024, prior to your Match Day 31 Fixture: Kwara United FC vs Akwa United FC, you disrupted the live broadcast of a game by making false claims about the unavailability of your home ground.”
A fine of 1 million naira was imposed on Kwara United for misconduct while 5 million naira was the fine for disruption of a live broadcast.
The Harmony Boys, who are 12th in the league table, have been given a chance to appeal the punishment or pay the fine within seven working days.
