Inter Lagos have been docked three points and three goals and fined ₦5.25 million by the Nigeria Premier Football League after match officials were held for more than an hour and assaulted at the end of Sunday’s 1-1 draw with Katsina United in Lagos. The NPFL said the club breached its NPFL27 Framework and Rules through inadequate security, the harassment and assault of match officials, and a failure to control its officials and supporters on Matchday 7.
The first assistant referee suffered a facial injury in the attack, which happened as the officials were leaving after the game, and lost personal belongings, including damage to his phone. The deduction has already been applied on the official NPFL table, where Inter Lagos now sit bottom of the 20-team league on two points.
| Inadequate security | ₦2,000,000 fine |
|---|---|
| Holding officials for over an hour | ₦1,000,000 fine |
| Assault on match officials | ₦2,000,000 fine |
| Compensation to first assistant referee | ₦250,000 |
| Total fines | ₦5,250,000 |
| Sporting sanction | 3 points and 3 goals deducted |
| Appeal window | 48 hours from notification |
Inter Lagos docked three points on top of four separate charges
The league broke the fine into separate charges rather than issuing a single penalty. Inter Lagos were fined ₦2 million for security failures that let unauthorised people into restricted areas, ₦1 million for keeping the officials hostage for over an hour, and another ₦2 million for the assault itself. The ₦250,000 compensation goes to the injured assistant referee to cover his lost items, the damaged phone and medical treatment.
The club has 48 hours from notification to appeal. Until an appeal succeeds, the three points and three goals stay off their totals, which matters in a season where goal difference can separate clubs at both ends of the table. The match itself had finished level, with Katsina United, who are dealing with a FIFA registration ban threat over money owed to former coach Bulus, taking a point back north.
The second club punished for matchday conduct in a week
Inter Lagos aren’t the first club to pay for breaches this month. The league announced on October 1 that Ranchers Bees had been fined ₦5 million for rules violations on Matchday 6, and a day later it said the NFF was moving to sustain improved officiating across the league. Adding a points deduction to the fines in this case shows the league treating attacks on referees as more than a financial matter.
The sanction lands after a Matchday 7 that left Rangers top on 16 points, one ahead of Rivers United, and it leaves the Lagos club with the hardest climb of anyone in the relegation fight before Friday night football returns on October 16.
