The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) took a decisive step on Monday by imposing a ten-year suspension on Leye Adepoju, a senior Nigerian football executive, due to corruption allegations. This suspension entails a complete ban from all sporting activities.
The crisis committee of the Nigerian Football Federation conducted an investigation leading to the decision to sanction Adepoju. He is accused of accepting a cash sum of 1.5 million naira (approximately 6,950 euros) prior to a disciplinary committee meeting related to the Shooting Stars team from Ibadan, the capital of Oyo state. The Shooting Stars had refused to continue a match against the Sunshine Stars earlier this year.
Adepoju is alleged to have received the money to intervene on behalf of the Shooting Stars after their players refused to resume play in the second half, claiming that one of their leaders had been assaulted when the score was 0-0.
This incident sheds light on the persistent issues of match-fixing and corruption in Nigerian football, which have resulted in sanctions against clubs, referees, and managers. Adepoju, who served as a member of the executive committee of the NFF and was also the president of the Oyo State Federation in southwest Nigeria, now faces a significant ban from the sport.
