BY SUNDAY AKINTOYE
Vice Chairman of Lagos State Football Association LSFA, Dotun Coker has counselled Sporting Lagos Football Academy Coach to accept his team’s defeat instead of putting blame on the match officials for their team’s poor performance.
One of the Sporting Lagos Football Academy coaching crew, Paul Atsu said their unfortunate defeat against Ikorodu City feeders in the round of 16 of Lagos FA Cup was caused by match officials.
Ikorodu City Football Academy defeated Sporting Lagos Football Academy 5-4 on penalty shootout after 2-2 at the regulation time in the round of 16 held on Tuesday afternoon at the Inspire Stadium, Oshodi.
Atsu while chatting with journalists expressed displeasure over the unfair officiating and alleged the center refree for unbiased officiating.
“It was clear that our boys played against the refree in a match of this magnitude.The penalty he awarded to our opponents in the last minute was uncalled for and instead of blaming my players for the defeat,I would blame the match officials for unbiased officiating,he said.
In his swift reaction, Coker said it is unfortunate that most of the football coaches are still ignorant of the laws of the game and many of them are not ready to learn.
Coker who was highly disappointed with the comments of Sporting Lagos Football Academy coach on match officials observed that most of the football coaches always act on emotions or sentiment when the official appiies the rules of the game accordingly during a match.
“Mr Atsu should not blame our match officials for their defeat because all our match officials since Lagos FA Cup kicked off have done a good job.I am here to watch this game with other members of Lagos FA technical committee and I didn’t see biased officiating in the two matches I watched.
“My advice for some football coaches now they should try and read the laws of the game and understand it better before casting aspersion on our match officials during or after the match,”he said.
Coker however urges coaches whose teams are still in Lagos FA Cup to channel their grievances to the match commissioner or refree assessors instead of harassing or blaming match officials for their defeat.
“It was clear that our boys played against the refree in a match of this magnitude.The penalty he awarded to our opponents in the last minute was uncalled for and instead of blaming my players for the defeat,I would blame the match officials for unbiased officiating,he said.
In his swift reaction, Coker said it is unfortunate that most of the football coaches are still ignorant of the laws of the game and many of them are not ready to learn.
Coker who was highly disappointed with the comments of Sporting Lagos Football Academy coach on match officials observed that most of the football coaches always act on emotions or sentiment when the official appiies the rules of the game accordingly during a match.
“Mr Atsu should not blame our match officials for their defeat because all our match officials since Lagos FA Cup kicked off have done a good job.I am here to watch this game with other Lagos FA technical committee and I didn’t see biased officiating in the two matches I watched.
“My advice for some football coaches now they should try and read the laws of the game and understand it better before casting aspersion on our match officials during or after the match,”he said.
Coker however urges coaches whose teams are still in Lagos FA Cup to channel their grievances to the match commissioner or refree assessors instead of harassing or blaming match officials for their defeat.