Lagos FA board meeting ends in fisticuff as members suspend chairman

Lagos FA Chairman, Faoud Oki (left) and Vice Chairman, Liameed Olawale Gafaar.

Some observers at the Lagos State Football Association (LSFA) board meeting inside the FA secretariat in Surulere took to their heels, yesterday, when what earlier looked like a formal gathering of soccer technocrats later became a boxing contest between supporters of the chairman, Faoud Oki, and some other members of the board.

The meeting, expected to discuss issues on the development of football in the state, became charged when some members accused Oki of running a one-man show and taking decisions without considering others’ opinion.

Led by the Vice Chairman, Liameed Olawale Gafar, the members accused Oki of gross misconduct, with five out of the nine members voting for his suspension.

After the verdict, Oki reportedly made to move to his office, but the members prevented him from doing so because ‘you are on suspension.’

Irked by the move, Oki allegedly slapped Gafaar, leading to a free-for-all fight at the secretariate.

Speaking on the crisis, Gafaar, on behalf of the five board members, said they suspended Oki for severally violating Nigeria Football Federation’s (NFF) laws and regulations.

They accused Oki of skipping the NFF Congress without providing any justification and without informing the LSFA board, adding that he also altered the association’s logo without seeking the board or congress’ consent.

The ‘rebels’ also accused Oki of preventing representatives of the Nigerian Premier Football League (NPFL) from testing their A1 camera at the Onikan Stadium before the 2023/24 season kicked off, as well as releasing Nigeria National League (NNL) match day logistics for the 2023/24 season to clubs without consulting the board.

The members also