Enyimba chide Tornadoes for petitioning LMC on fielding suspended midfielder, Ibenegbu • Deny wrongdoing

Enyimba FC of Aba have denied any wrongdoing in fielding 'suspended' midfielder, Ikechukwu Ibenegbu in Sunday's 3-0 thrashing of Niger Tornadoes of Minna on Sunday in Calabar.

The People's Elephant admitted fielding the player in the said match but claimed they were not communicated by the League Management Company as regards the suspension after the former Heartland and Warri Wolves midfielder was suspended after picking his fifth yellow card of the season against Akwa United.

"It is true that we fielded Ikechukwu Ibenegbu in the match against Niger Tornadoes. But that was for no extra judicial football reasons because we did not know he was suspended and there was no official communication to that effect from the organisers of the league," Chief Anyansi Agwu, chairman of the Executive Committee of Enyimba stated on Monday evening.

"There is no way we, at our level and experience, could have taken such a gamble, knowing such player was ineligible, even in our own home game."

Niger Tornadoes filed a petition to the league body on Monday evening, demanding that Enyimba be reprimanded for violating one of the essential provisions of the rules of the competition, demanding also that the result be upturned in their favour.

Articule C (5) of the LMC Rules and Framework stipulates that any club that intentionally fielded a player who has received five yellow cards will forfeit the match with three goals and three points. And the Minna outfit are pressing on the LMC to invoke this provision.

But Anyansi reckons that it would amount to mischief on the part of Niger Tornadoes if they received such notification from LMC as regards Ibenegbu's suspension but refused to make it available during the pre-match meeting or even communicate the match commissioner before the match.

"It looks like they have a script well written before the game," Anyansi said.

"Otherwise, how come they received a letter from LMC suspending one of our players without making it available during pre match meeting?

"The match commissioner is also supposed to have a copy from LMC.

"We have had instances where our opponents players were suspended but we were the ones to present the letter, making the club to drop such player," Anyansi said.