Glo League: Coach Urges Equal Opportunities For Teams

The Technical Adviser of Kaduna United, Ben Duamlong, has enjoined referees to give equal treatment to all teams in the Premier League.
“They should be allowed to freely express themselves on the field of play, irrespective of which team is hosting a game,” Duamlong told newsmen in Umuahia.
Duamlong had led Kaduna United to a 2-0 defeat in the hands of Abia Warriors FC of Umuahia in the Week one encounter, decided at the Umuahia Township Stadium.
He said that the role played by match officials would not only decide the outcome of games but also determine the quality of the teams that would represent Nigeria in continental tournaments.
“Abia Warriors won, we lost. My boys played according to instruction, but I think the problem started with that penalty that was awarded to the host team.
“I think the match officials made a few calls that were not right. Even though the officials are humans, they are prone to mistakes, but they should strive to be fair to competing teams.
“Teams should also not cheat in order to win,” he said.
Duamlong said that part of the reasons why national teams were not performing well in continental competitions was because some clubs were unduly given advantages.
“That is why when such clubs go to continental, they come back after the first round. Now that we have lost our first game, we should go home and fight our way back”.
Garba Lawal, an ex-international and Kaduna United Team Manager said their players lost but would bounce back in subsequent games.
“If we had done that perhaps the game could have changed. The second goal by Abia Warriors was fantastic.
“I was disappointed at the referee’s poor handling of the match, particularly the penalty he awarded to the host team.
“That is why I am not surprised that Nigerians referees are always not picked to officiate at world events,’’ Lawal said.