Everest Ezihe || Poised by the accusation that Nigeria Referees are instrumental to most violence in match venues, Dr. Amos Agwamba (JP, Fcai) has insisted that though inadequate security causes jittery among referees but attributed violence in match venues to fans and spectators whom he said are ignorant of the rules of the game.
Agwamba who is a retired Senior Referee and a Match Commissioner said this is Owerri at Ikemba Ojukwu Conference Centre when he presented a paper titled – Many Faces And Dangers of Violence in Nigeria Football during a one-day sensitization Seminar organized by Management of Heartland FC, Owerri for her critical stakeholders.
He described violence in Sports as one of the social maladies that have threatened the fun and excitement of competitive sports worldwide.
According to him “The society is violent and aggressive by nature. Sports serve as a channel to release the instinct. Since society permits violence, it manifests in other spheres of human endeavour including sports and football in particular” he pointed out.
The football Administrator also revealed that one of the most tragic violence in sports occurred in 1969 at a football match involving Colombia and El-Salvador all in South American continent.
The mayhem he informed followed the controversial decision of the referee leftover 120 people dead. The riot also led to military intervention between the two countries.
In African Continent, Agwamba noted the story to be the same, making reference to 1976 football match between Cameroon and former Congo Brazzaville, over a disputed referee’s decision, in which a policeman lost his life.
He further recalled that in 1973 at Lagos, Nigeria fans stoned Ghanaian footballers and burnt their 23 Seater Mercedes Benz Bus after the Ghanaian had beaten Nigeria in a football match, thus in 1975, Ghanaians retaliated by beating Nigeria contingent in their land to stupor, the examples he said are endless.
He proffered serious solutions to include provision of adequate security, severe punishment to guilty clubs or teams, use of mass media in match coverages etc.
Earlier, Chief Good Faith Etuemena, the President of Heartland FC said that they were compelled to hold the seminar as a result of what happened during their week 21 home match with As Racine FC of Lagos in which some of their fans, supporters and spectators were adjudged to have exhibited indiscipline behaviour.
Etuemena advised the participants to take the seminar serious noting that as the club is topping the professional league there are some aggrieved persons who may be mischievous to truncate the team promotional ambition.
