By Patrick Omoridion

South African reggae crooner, the late Lucky Dube sang that if you don’t have something good to say about somebody, you better shut up because what you say today may turn around to hurt you tomorrow. The same way that what one does today may turn around to hurt him tomorrow.

That is exactly what has happened to one who had a future in the business of football in Nigeria. Plateau-born Victor Wikadson was coach of an amateur club in Jos, the Plateau United Feeders Football Club. He had a future with the amateur side, so he thought.

They competed in the lower rung of the Nigerian league, the third division Nationwide League and were jostling for promotion with another team, the Police Machine team of Yola and each side needed a win to gain promotion.

They ended up recording scandalous scorelines against their opponents. While Wikadson’s side, Plateau United Feeders FC beat Akurba United of Lafia 79-0, Police Machine score 67 unreplied goals against Babayaro FC of Gombe.

Any football federation worth its salt won’t bait an eyelid to sanction the culprits of such actions which brought disrepute to the game. So after thorough investigation, all the dramatis personae were handed life bans from football.

A total of 67 players from the four clubs were affected. Plateau United Feeders FC had 18, Police Machine 18, Babayaro 16 and Akurba United had 15. A total of 18 officials from the four clubs were equally affected. But today of all the players and officials affected by the life ban, only Wikadson has been again drawn to the spotlight. Why?

May be Wikadson thought that because it is often touted that in Nigeria we do not keep accurate records or don’t keep records at all, his shameful act was not recorded or the records could have been thrown away or destroyed.

If the banned coach has forgotten or thinks the Nigeria Football Federation has no record of his misdeed, what would one say of Plateau United Football Club of Jos, the parent club of the Feeder team Wikadson handled and perpetrated the fraud with just three years ago?

May be in a hurry to replace their coach, Zakare Baraje who was given the boot, the Plateau side quickly appointed Wikadson as his replacement, oblivious(?) of the life ban hanging on his neck. However, the NFF through its secretary general, Dr. Mohammed Sanusi promptly reminded the Jos side that its ‘new’ coach was still under life ban and therefore cannot be appointed.

However, if the club insist on keeping Wikadson, which I hope they won’t do, the repercussion could be costly for them. For the records, in case Plateau United goes again to draft any of the officials banned alongside Wikadson into its fold, the other banned officials for the records are Sani Mohammed and John Dabo, both assistants to Wikadson, Shuaibu Usman, Welfare officer, Garba Mohammed, Masseur, Babayaro Sambo, Curator and Danladi Bala, the Team Manager of the fraudulent Plateau United Feeders FC.

It also hoped that all the 18 players of Wikadson’s team as well as players and officials of the other three clubs who are also under life ban, are not smuggled through the back door into any football club like Plateau United wanted to do before the NFF drew their attention to it.

It is on this note that one is forced to say that Plateau United Feeders FC, Akurba United FC, Police Machine FC and Babayaro FC had the boldness to fix their matches because when two other clubs, Akwa United and Calabar Rovers did it earlier, in 2006 to be precise, no serious sanction was imposed on them by the football body.

It could be recalled that Akwa United and Bussdor FC were involved in a promotion race at the time and Akwa United had a game against Calabar Rovers and needed to beat Rovers by 12-0 to sail through. They got it and added another goal to make it 13-0 to be doubly sure the promotion won’t elude them.

The sanction then was like a slap on the wrist. The result of the Akwa United 2006 fraud, was the 2013 upgrade in the show of shame by Plateau United Feeders FC, Akurba FC, Police Machine FC and Babayaro FC. It is therefore good for the NFF to always be on top of their game by not bending the rules no matter whose ox is gored. And so they must be commended for stopping Wikadson who threw professionalism to the wind and brought football into disrepute because of momentary and pecuniary gains.