Lagos, – The Nigeria (Football) Referees Association (NRA) says it will soon begin to prosecute football fans, who engage in hooliganism at match venues.
The Chairman of the association, Tade Azeez, who made this known in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos on Wednesday, was speaking against the backdrop of continued maltreatment of match officials during league matches.
Azeez said that referees in the country would no longer condone the rowdy criminal behaviour of football fans at match venues.
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“I must commend the league board for having the political will to sanction erring clubs this season.
“And the sanction has further restricted hooligans that are everywhere in the country from further threatening lives of my members and every other person or touching them at all.
“On our part, we are ready to go to the court of law to prosecute anybody; it is criminal to beat somebody; it is against the law of the land.
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“And whoever is found wanting, we will go to any length to get the person persecuted as an association.’’
He, therefore, appealed to the management of football clubs to sensitise their fans to the consequences of attacking referees during matches. (NAN)
