LMC explains ‘30 minutes’ added time in Katsina United, Remo Stars match

[FILES] Katsina United

The League Management Company (LMC), custodians of the Nigerian Professional Football League (LMC), yesterday, explained that the referee in the Matchday 35 game between Katsina United and Remo Stars, at the weekend, was forced to add extra minutes to the game to make up for the time wasted when fans encroached on the pitch.

In a statement sent to The Guardian, the LMC said it became necessary to correct the impression created by some social media accounts that have been spreading information that the match had over 30 minutes of added time.

It said: “The match was disrupted by players of Katsina United, who protested Remo Stars second equalising goal late in the game. In the process of the players contesting the referee’s decision, there was an encroachment on the field of play and it took some time before the encroachment was cleared and normalcy was restored.

“The goal stood and the match duly restarted to conclude the remaining added minutes. However, most of those commenting, including some sports journalists followed the match on online live game trackers such as Livescore, Betway, flashscore and it needs to be pointed out that these platforms hardly indicate that a game was inactive and most times leave their match clock active throughout the match. 

“It is not possible for a referee to allow 30 minutes of added time in a 45 minutes half. We appeal to fans and the media to always verify the information they share, especially such that are detrimental to the health of the brand.”

The LMC recalled that on “MatchDay 33 there was a similar incident in the match between Lobi Stars and Heartland, which had several stoppages due to injuries and time wastage right from the first half. The game was not