The club's hopes of getting relief from a harsh penalty have been dashed after the Nigeria Football Federation Appeals Committee rejected our appeal on Friday. The three points and three goals taken from us will remain off our league tally, making the battle to avoid the drop even harder.
Our petition to have the sanctions overturned was heard during a virtual meeting of the Appeals Committee, but after examining all the evidence and arguments presented, the panel decided that the original punishment would not be reversed. This leaves Sai Masu Gida in a tougher spot as we head into the business end of the campaign.
The penalty stems from what happened at the Sani Abacha Stadium back in October 2025 during our Matchday 8 home game with Shooting Stars. League officials recorded major security failures that day, most seriously the assault on match officials—incidents the authorities described as serious breaches of competition rules.
The NPFL disciplinary panel came down hard: three points off, three goals off, fines totalling N9.5 million, and the indefinite closure of our home ground. The league said these steps were required to maintain order and protect safety standards in the competition.
With the Appeals Committee now backing that decision, there is no further route for the club to challenge the deduction. For a side with four league titles in our history, the current situation is deeply worrying, and every point from now until the end of the season will be vital if we are to preserve our top-flight status.