 has slammed Shooting Stars Sports Club (3SC) Sporting Director, Tobi Adepoju Samuel.){kind=link}
The Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL), has issued an official reprimand to Shooting Stars Sports Club (3SC) Sporting Director, Tobi Samuel Adepoju, over what it described as false and disparaging comments made against NPFL Chairman, Gbenga Elegbeleye.
Adepoju had alleged in a post on X (formerly Twitter) that Elegbeleye approved substandard stadiums with poor playing surfaces, which he claimed had led to injuries among 3SC players.
In a letter addressed to the club official, NPFL Chief Operating Officer, Davidson Owumi, condemned the allegation as misleading and damaging to both the Chairman and the league.
“Our attention has been drawn to a false claim you made on X in which you maliciously accused the chairman of the NPFL, Gbenga Elegbeleye, of approving the use of a stadium which caused injury to players of your club,” Owumi wrote.
He clarified that neither Elegbeleye nor the NPFL is responsible for stadium approvals, noting that such matters fall strictly under the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) Club Licensing Regulations.
Owumi further stated that Adepoju’s comments brought the office of the NPFL Chairman into disrepute, in violation of Rule A5.5.2 of the NPFL Framework and Rules, which prohibits clubs or their representatives from unfairly criticising or discrediting the league or its officials.
He emphasised that clubs have established communication channels for lodging complaints, citing the recent case of Abia Warriors, who submitted a formal petition, rather than going public over a referee’s performance in a Match day 14 fixture.
According to the letter, Adepoju has been directed to publicly correct his statements, apologise to Elegbeleye, and provide reasons why further disciplinary action should not be taken against him.
