The Nigeria National League witnessed an unconventional goal during the clash between Jigawa Golden Stars and Sporting Supreme, as players resorted to using their bare hands to score, as reported by Soccernet.ng.
Despite Jigawa Golden Stars securing a 2-1 victory, controversy arose when one of their goals was scored with a clear handball, which went unnoticed by the center referee.
In a video footage, a cross into Sporting Supreme’s box was handballed twice, leading to a goal being awarded instead of a foul being called by the referee.
Watch the video here:
Moment the beautiful game of football turned to basketball in the Nigeria National League (NNL).
— YabaLeftOnline (@yabaleftonline) April 6, 2024
The incident sparked debate within the Nigerian football community, raising concerns about the officiating standards and the reason Nigerian referees are not regularly selected for international competitions.
In response to the controversy, the Nigeria Football Federation Refereeing Development Committee Unit took swift action by expelling Zaharadeen Nasiru from the league and refereeing in general, citing the incident as detrimental to the reputation of refereeing and the game in Nigeria.
The statement reads: “In view of the serious nature of the decisions taken in your week 17 match involving Jigawa Golden Stars FC and Sporting Supreme FC played in Dutse wherein your actions brought Refereeing and the game in Nigeria into disrepute, I am directed to notify you that you have been expelled with immediate effect from the league and refereeing generally.”
Despite the controversy, Sporting Supreme remains in second place in their group with 19 points, while Jigawa Golden Stars sit fifth with 14 points.
