NLO: NFF Dismisses Match-Fixing Allegations Against Campos FC, Liberty Lions FC, Others

The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) Disciplinary Committee has dismissed match-fixing allegations arising from Nationwide League One (NLO) matches against Campos FC, Liberty Lions FC and three other football clubs .

The committee convened in Abuja on Tuesday, 2nd July 2025, after conducting thorough investigations into the allegations, made significant decisions concerning Campos FC, Cynosure FC, Franceex United FC, and Positive Football Academy.

In a notable case involving Campos FC, the committee determined that the allegations of match-fixing against the club lacked credible evidence. These charges stemmed from Campos FC’s remarkable victory over A & A FC, where they scored an astonishing 15 goals. The NLO had cited audio recordings suggesting player dissatisfaction regarding payments from A & A FC. However, the committee emphasised that Campos FC had not been afforded the opportunity to respond to these serious allegations during the investigation.

Consequently, the committee overturned the NLO’s decision to suspend Campos FC for two years and imposed a fine of Five Hundred Thousand Naira (N500,000), while directing the NFF Integrity Unit to conduct a thorough investigation into the allegations.

In a separate case involving Cynosure FC, the allegations of match-fixing against Liberty Lions FC were deemed unfounded. The timing of the match had been altered, resulting in Liberty Lions FC starting with only seven players due to logistical challenges. After careful review, the committee found Cynosure FC’s claims to be frivolous and upheld the fine imposed on the club. However, they considered the six-month suspension of Cynosure FC’s Chairman to be excessive and subsequently set it aside.

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The committee also addressed allegations against Franceex United FC, who reportedly scored nine goals against Bison FC. Similar to the Campos case, Franceex United FC was not invited to respond to the match-fixing claims, and the committee found insufficient evidence to validate the allegations. As a result, the cancellation of the match result was overturned, pending further investigation by the NFF Integrity Unit.

Lastly, the case against Positive Football Academy concluded with the club’s withdrawal from the league due to their failure to honour two scheduled matches. Although the NLO expelled Positive FA, the committee clarified that there was no evidence of the club’s withdrawal as per NLO regulations, leading them to set aside the expulsion decision.

These rulings reflect the NFF Disciplinary Committee’s commitment to ensuring fairness and transparency within Nigerian football, emphasising the importance of due process in disciplinary matters.

The decisions made by the NFF Disciplinary Committee are subject to the right of appeal, and further investigations are expected to clarify these contentious cases.

NFF Disciplinary Committee members in attendance are: Barr. Abdulrahman I. Abdulrahman (vice chairman), Barr. Mukhtar Ibrahim (member), Barr. Wole Ademoyegun (member), Barr. Bello Galadi (Member) and Queen W. Otarakpo, Esq. (Secretary)