Rising Stars appeal ban

The Nigeria National League (NNL) side, Rising Stars have appealed against the three-match ban slammed by the league body.

The Akure-based side were banished to llorin for their home matches after match report on Matchday 9 tie against Gateway FC in Akure indicted the side of assaulting the referee.

The NNL Division B bottom-placed side won the Matchday 9 encounter 1-0.

An official of the side, Ayorinde Ajibola said they decided on appealing against the banishment to llorin since they are convinced there was no match violence or assault on the referee before, during and after the match.

"We've sent our protest letter on Wednesday to the secretary of the Nigeria National League, we want them to take another look at the decision to banish us to llorin for three home matches.

"As I speak with you I'm still at a loss regarding the reason we're banished for three matches. We couldn't have assaulted the referee in a match we won. The NNL could have come up with another reason for their action but not that the referee or any match official was assaulted in the match. Nobody, I repeat, nobody was assaulted.

"We see the banishment as a grand plot to run us out of the league. Financially, we're down, we barely manage to keep up with the demands of our home matches and now we're being asked to head to llorin for our home matches. How do they want us to cope?

"Of course, we're struggling on the league ladder, and banishment to llorin will simply prove to be a nail in our coffin except the decision is urgently reversed," he said to supersport.com.

Ajibola said, however, that his side will honour their Matchday 11 tie against Unicem Rovers at the side's new abode, llorin.

"We'll head to llorin this weekend to host Unicem Rovers believing that NNL will reconsider their stand to keep us in llorin for the next three home matches.

"We're battling hard to boost the players morale ahead of the match. The players are still in shock and see the banishment as wicked and unjust," he said.

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