The Nationwide League One (NLO) has issued a formal query to Hepzibah Football Club over the publication of video clips on social media alleging poor officiating in one of its recent league matches.
In a letter from the NLO Secretariat, the league expressed serious concern over a series of videos shared by the club’s official social media platforms and representatives. According to the NLO, the videos, accompanied by captions and commentary criticizing match officials, were intended to discredit the referees and cast doubt on their integrity.
The league acknowledged that clubs have the right to raise concerns over officiating but stressed that such complaints must be made through the established constitutional and professional channels provided in the NLO Rules and Regulations. It described the club’s decision to publicize the matter on social media as “trial by social media,” noting that such actions violate the league’s code of conduct.
The NLO further stated that the publications were capable of inciting public resentment against match officials while portraying Nigerian football negatively before the international community. The league warned that such conduct undermines the credibility and commercial value of the competition, discourages potential sponsors, and damages the image of Nigerian football.
Consequently, Hepzibah FC has been directed to provide a formal explanation as to why disciplinary action should not be taken against the club for bringing the game into disrepute. The club is also required to explain why it failed to utilize the official channels for protesting officiating decisions as stipulated by the league’s regulations.
In addition, the NLO ordered the club to immediately stop publishing what it described as derogatory content and to issue a public retraction aimed at mitigating the damage already caused to the image of the league.
The club has been given 48 hours from the receipt of the query to submit its written response to the NLO Secretariat.
The league warned that failure to provide a satisfactory explanation could attract severe disciplinary measures, including heavy fines, deduction of points, or suspension from league activities.