Shooting Stars have denied holding players and officials of Ikorodu City hostage after Sunday’s Nigeria Premier Football League match-day 32 encounter at the Lekan Salami Stadium in Ibadan, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.
The Oluyole Warriors were held to a 0-0 draw by their Southwest rivals but the fierce derby degenerated into disorder after the final whistle when irate 3SC fans unleashed some unruly behaviour against match officials, their players as well as opponents.
Multiple reports and viral videos also showed that the Ikorodu City team bus was damaged and some of their personnel sustained injuries before they were rescued after almost two hours by security operatives provided by an Oyo State Government official.
In the wake of the incident, the management of 3SC has denied holding their opponents against their will.
“We wish to clearly state, through this medium, that no players and officials were held hostage after Sunday’s match,” the club said in a statement.
“We actually needed to take such a step as a safety measure for the two teams and match officials, after we got informed about the rowdy, unsafe and unconducive atmosphere outside.
“We also want to refute reports that players and officials of Ikorodu City were attacked and that their bus was damaged, nothing of such happened as the team left the arena well guarded by security personnel.”
Meanwhile, Chief Operating Officer of the NPFL, Davidson Owumi, has said that the official reports of the match and the incidents will be looked into.
“We will look into the report and all the accusations that have been made and take an action that will serve as a deterrence to other clubs. We can handle everything, and we will look at the rules as well as the limits of the offences,” Owumi told our correspondent.
Sunday’s goalless draw put another dent in Shooting Stars’ continental ambitions this season, leaving them fourth in the league with 48 points after 32 matches, while Ikorodu City are sixth with 46 points.
