As the second home match of Shooting Stars Sports Club of Ibadan against Katsina United comes up this evening, the attention of the Sports Writers Association of Nigeria, Oyo SWAN has been drawn to alleged moves by the General Manager of Shooting Stars Sports Club of Ibadan, Mr. Rashidi Balogun to prevent some Sports Journalists from covering the home matches of the club at Lekan Salami Stadium, Adamasingba.
The Association notes that during the first home match of the Oluyole Warriors against Akwa United in the ongoing NPFL season, some journalists had difficulties in covering the encounter.
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Some of the affected journalists who said they had expected to use their media establishments’ Identity Cards to gain access to the stadium expressed shock when they were told they would not be allowed to enter unless they had tickets.
“Most of us have valid SWAN ID CARDS and that of the media establishments we are working for, so we see no reasons why we should be prevented from the Stadium and 3SC should not expect us to request the tickets from impostors”.
When contacted, the media officer of 3SC of Ibadan, Tosin Omojola, said it was the directive of the General Manager of the Club that the tickets meant for sports journalists in Oyo state should be handed over to non-SWAN members, as they would be the ones to decide the sportswriters to cover the club’s home matches as both GM and impostors has been discovered to hail from the same state.
Omojola said further that he was mandated to be in charge of sports journalists outside the state that would be covering the home matches of 3SC and he had no business with sports journalists based in Ibadan.
The Association is now made to wonder how Tosin Omojola was appointed the media officer of an elite club like 3SC and he is showing gross incompetence and laxity.
“Media Officers of Clubs are to liaise professionally with their colleagues without fear or favor, but Oyo SWAN has been made to believe that Omojola is an advocate of illegality.
“The Association expected Omojola to guide the management of 3SC on the need to toe the line of truth and respect for established authorities while relating with the media, but Omojola decided to support such aberration” the statement read.
Oyo SWAN, therefore, appeals to the State Commissioner for Youth and Sports, Asiwaju Seun Fakorede, and other relevant agencies to call the management of 3SC to order and make them desist from barring genuine sportswriters from covering the home matches of the club.
