Legal representatives of Okaka Football Club have petitioned the Disciplinary Committee of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), calling for the immediate suspension of Franceex FC from participating in the ongoing Nationwide League One (NLO) Super 8 Playoffs, citing unresolved match-fixing allegations.

 

The strongly worded letter, dated July 10 and signed by ‘Tosin Akinyemi, LLB, LLM, Founder of Sportlicitors, was addressed to the NFF Disciplinary Committee and also sent to the federation’s official email addresses. The legal team is requesting an urgent decision ahead of the 12:00 p.m. kickoff deadline on Friday, July 11.

 

The petition follows a recent decision by the NFF Disciplinary Committee to reverse an earlier ruling by the NLO, which had found both Franceex FC and Bison FC guilty of match manipulation—pending further investigation and fair hearing. The reversal allows the clubs to continue participation in the Super 8 despite the ongoing probe.

 

In the letter, Akinyemi described Okaka FC’s dissatisfaction with the decision, arguing that allowing Franceex FC to compete before the final outcome of the disciplinary proceedings could “taint matches, distort draws, and undermine public confidence.”

 

“Our client is aggrieved that a club under serious integrity-related investigation is being permitted to participate in a critical national playoff,” the letter stated. “This is contrary to international best practices and rulings from the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), which have emphasized the need to provisionally suspend teams facing credible allegations of match-fixing.”

 

The lawyers pointed to “prima facie” evidence of manipulation in the controversial 0-9 result between Franceex FC and Bison FC on May 27, 2025, citing match footage, drastic performance discrepancies, and damning reports from the match commissioner and center referee.

 

According to the letter, referees observed Bison FC players deliberately giving the ball away and even verbally encouraging Franceex FC to “score before it’s too late,” behavior that significantly benefited Franceex by securing an improbable goal difference required for playoff qualification.

 

Referencing precedent from international football cases, including UEFA’s suspension of Fenerbahçe and Metalist Kharkiv, the lawyers stressed that participation in playoffs should be treated as a privilege, not a right.

 

“Even if the accused clubs suffer some harm from being provisionally suspended, that harm is outweighed by the greater interest of protecting the competition’s integrity,” the petition argued, citing CAS jurisprudence.

 

The letter also emphasized that Okaka FC had incurred logistical and financial expenses traveling to Ijebu-Ode for the competition before the initial suspension was announced, only for clubs previously sanctioned to be reinstated.

 

In conclusion, Okaka FC’s legal team requested the NFF Disciplinary Committee to either:

1. Withdraw Franceex FC’s participation from the Super 8, or

2. Suspend the entire competition, pending the conclusion of investigations and proper hearings.

 

The petition warns that failure to act could lead to further legal steps and potentially undermine the legitimacy of the entire playoff process.

 

As of the time of this report, the NFF has not officially responded to the request. The situation continues to develop, with stakeholders closely watching whether the committee will issue a ruling before the scheduled kickoff.