NUGA: TEAM LAUTECH HANDBALL FIGHT OAU’S WIN

Report by Ayodeji Adeyemi

OAU Handball, Coach Abu with his assistant

Following the end of the handball match between team LAUTECH and team OAU, which team OAU won 17 goals to 12, the losing team took to force to protest what they refer to as unjust officiating and undue advantage by the host team to deprive them of winning.
According to eye-witnesses, Coach Abu, coach of team OAU approached his counterpart, name withheld, to complain of the abuses and insults rained on him by his team supporters during the match. However, on seeing the two coaches discussing, one of the player of team LAUTECH suddenly badged in and pushed away Coach Abu to drag his coach away. On seeing this, players of the host reacted against the unruly treatment on their coach. This led to uproar and an ensuing fight as both teams with their supporters raining abuses and exchanging fists.
Despite the presence of some security personnel, caution was thrown to the wind as both teams had to be restrained to prevent the fight from blowing into a full blown riot between two universities.
Explaining the reason for their outburst, a supporter of team LAUTECH who surprisingly is not a member of the team said the OAU players were said to be participating in more than one game which made OAU as the host team to reschedule the match from 7am to 9am. This created a dissent in the team LAUTECH and made them jeer the OAU team from the onset of the game to the final whistle. Also bearing grudges against team OAU as the host team include Ekiti State University (EKSU), Federal University of Technology, Minna (FUTMINNA), Niger Delta University (NDU) who at one time been defeated by OAU. This made some of the supporters of these teams to join in the protest cum fight against team OAU.
Reacting to the melee, Coach Abu said, “That is the highest insult a player has ever done to me. I was speaking to the coach, not the players. I was only telling him of what his team and supporters did to him during the match. A guy was standing behind me; raining insults on me and some guys were chanting it. That was what I was telling him before a guy came and pushed me away. You can’t expect my players to see that and not react. That a big insult. If I had replied then on the court, they would have started what they couldn’t finish. Also, I realize that as the host, such things are bound to happen if and when you win.”
Showing their annoyance, players from team LAUTECH prevented journalists from interviewing their coach and snapping pictures on the scene.
However, with interventions from accompanied officials of both teams, security officers from the school security unit and Nigeria Police Force, all parties involved were appeased and the fight was subdued.