Another round of boardroom screening exercise on participating teams in the NPFL Clubs under 15 Promises Tournament by the organisers has come under serious critism and questioning as affected teams have lodged their complaints and threatened to stage a workout if what they considered as injustice and lack of respect is not addressed quickly, sports247.ng learns
The affected teams who have complained include Bendel Insurance FC, Akwa united, Delta Force and Kwara Utd whose coaches have voiced out their frustration.
According to the Media Officer of Insurance, Kehinde Osagiede said that the Coach Stanley Sheyi Osazee of Bendel Insurance and his Akwa united counterparts, Anietie Christo Davies and others are questioning the rationale behind the Abuja screening which depleted their already screened and certified teams who went through the first screening in Asaba on March 23 and 24 before another one at their Enugu zone center. Then, before the tournament kickoff proper.
The coaches involved have also alleged that Katsina Utd are being treated as sacred cows. They alleged that more than nine players of Katsina Utd were not part of their team that were screened as virtually all their players were screened out at the preliminary stage of the tournament. The aggrieved coaches added that the new players of Katsina were issued certificate at the quarter finals stage in Abuja against the rules. They pointed at Katsina no.21 shirted player and others they said have undergone under 17 national screening.
They wondered why the organisers allowed Katsina to parade players who did not face the screening committee at the stipulated time and why the same LMC officials who screened Insurance and other aggrieved clubs and issued them certificate of participation later withdrew their certificate, after their participation from the begining of the tournament,an exercise that removed about nine first team players which made their game against Delta Force a difficult one .
Meanwhile, Bendel Insurance under 15 team suffered their first defeat in the tournament as they lost their second match of the quarter finals group game to Delta Force by a lone goal.
Peter Joel scored the only goal of the match in the 65th minute of play. Joel had missed some scoring opportunities earlier but continued to disturb Insurance area before he got it right as he beat the offside trap and drove in from the right flank to slot it in.
The defeat to Delta Force has now put Insurance in the tight corner as the Benin boys will be facing Katsina Utd in their last game tomorrow. It is a must win match for the Benin arsenal as Delta Force now have four points after playing goalless with Katsina Utd in their first game.
Insurance next opponent, Katsina Utd who have been reported to have featured over aged players defeated Akwa United 4-0.
Speaking after the match, Bendel Insurance youth coach Stanley Sheyi Osazee expressed displeasure over the result but said he was more disappointed with the manner the organisers of the tournament disorganized his team.
Himself and his Akwa united counterparts Anietie Christo Davies complained that the organisers depleted their teams deliberately to frustrate them after subjecting them to another round of screening in which most of their first team players were screened out without genuine reasons.”I was very happy with the organisers of the youth development tournament until the selective screening in Abuja where we are playing in the quarter finals. We were duly screened and certified, started the tournament and qualified with Insurance in Enugu. No body told us there is another screening later so as to prepare by coming with fresh players. I don’t understand it. We started the tournament with the same boys and they are screening them again at this stage? What they have used to determine who is averaged in my team and others is what I don’t know. We have been heavily disrespected and this should not continue.”
