The Chief Operating Officer, COO, of the Nigeria Professional Football League, NPFL, Davidson Owumi, has come under criticisms following comments credited to him following the ugly scenes that blighted Sunday's Oriental Derby clash involving Nigeria's foremost club, Rangers, and Nigeria's most successful club, Enyimba International.

The 'vexed' Derby was inconclusive following crowd restiveness and invasion of the pitch when the referee awarded a 98th minute penalty to Rangers.

The league organisers subsequently handed varying degrees of sanctions to the two clubs but Owumi was later to stir the hornet's nest following comments he allegedly made during an interview by a Port Harcourt based radio station, Nigeria Info 92.3FM.

Owumi was alleged to have said: 

"We do not make decisions outside the referees and match commissioner's report. 

"Enyimba are serial offenders and so they deserve their stadium ban. Rangers are first time offenders.

"You don't expect who triggered problem to get same punishment as the victim", while responding to questions as regards the sanctions handed out to the two clubs.

"Even Jesus Christ was crucified for nothing. How did Owumi contribute to 0-0 that the game was before the...

"How did I contribute to the Match Commissioner's report? 

"We gave Enyimba three points, that they cannot deny. They went to appeal and NFF took the points we gave them".

Aliyu Ahmed, a former Flying Eagles invitee and defunct Jasper United midfielder, says such comments are not expected from someone as experienced as the NPFL Chief Operating Officer.

"If its true that the NPFL COO made such comments, then its most unfortunate", Ahmed, Proprietor of Arewa Future Stars Academy, Zaria, Kaduna State, quipped.

"By virtue of his position as the father of all the NPFL clubs, he's expected to be extremely careful with his comments much as he maintains absolute neutrality on issues of conflict between clubs.

"This is to avoid suspicion of bias, sentiment or vested interest in such situation as that of Rangers/Enyimba imbroglio on Sunday.

"Remember, he's a former Rangers player and later GM, so by such media comments, he has made himself open for criticism as having interest or being sentimental in the matter", the former petit midfielder emphasised.