NO PUNISHMENT FOR SHARKS, DOLPHIN – OWUMI

Chairman of the Nigeria Premier League (NPL) board, Davidson Owumi said no punishment will be meted out to either Sharks or Dolphin following their controversial game in Port Harcourt on Saturday.

Sharks won 1-0 courtesy of a second half goal by Victor Ezeji but the result has been surrounded by a dark cloud following rumours of a sellout by Dolphin.

Both clubs are owned by the same sponsor, the Rivers State Government, a direct violation of Fifa Club Licensing Regulations which clearly states that a single natural or legal entity is prohibited from direct or indirect ownership of multiple clubs, in the same competition.

Owumi, ostensibly ignorant of the regulations said he did not believe the game was fixed.

'Is it because both clubs are owned by the same sponsor? I don't buy the story that the game was fixed because any team can have a bad day and I believe that was the case with Dolphin on Saturday,' Owumi told SuperSport.com.

Asked whether any of the clubs would be sanctioned if found guilty of collusion and bringing the game into disrepute, Owumi, a former Sharks player was non committal in his response.

'I think we should let sleeping dogs lie. The game has been played and the result will stand.

Also we have yet to receive the match reports from the officials, match commissioners and assessors who were at the game. Once that is done, we will speak at length about this,' he said.

Sharks have jumped up to 9th on the log after the controversial win against Dolphin while the hitherto unbeaten Dolphin lost their place at the top of the table and dropped five places.

Stanley Eguma's men who are now 6th on the table next travel to the Mamman Kontagora Stadium, Minna for a potential skin against 12th place Niger Tornadoes on November 27.