Akwa United have been reprimanded by the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) for threatening the crew of Propel Sports Africa (PSA), the Over the Top (OTT) broadcast streaming partners of the league.
Similarly, the Welfare Officer of the club, identified only as Mr. Asuquo, was invited to face a disciplinary panel over threats he was seen on a video footage issuing to the broadcast crew.
In a letter by its Chief Operating Officer, Davidson Owumi, the NPFL expressed concern that such actions may have grave consequences on contractual obligations to partners.
The letter stated: “It has come to our attention that in the course of your Match Day 16 fixture, Akwa United vs. Bendel Insurance, played on Monday, 10 December 2024, your Welfare Officer, Mr. Asuquo, harassed and intimidated the technical staff of Propel Sports Africa, the OTT Broadcast partners of the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL).
“Acts of this nature expose the league to significant legal risks, reputation damage, and financial costs”.
It went on to remark that such behaviour falls far short of the expected standards of professionalism and contravenes the principles underpinning the league’s operations.
The club was warned that a repeat occurrence of such or similar conduct will attract severe sanctions against both your club and the errant official.
Akwa United were directed to take all necessary steps to prevent a recurrence of such incidents in the future.
The NPFL invited Mr. Asuquo to face an inquest on Wednesday, 18 December at its office in Abuja.
“In light of the seriousness of this matter, you are invited to appear before an inquest to explain your actions and provide any necessary clarification”, the letter stated and reminded Asuquo that his attendance is mandatory while failure to appear may lead to further disciplinary actions.
