The management of Nigeria Premier Football side Shooting Stars have denied allegations of match fixing leveled against the club by a Sports Presenter.
The Presenter on a live programme on a radio station based in Ibadan alleged that Shooting Stars purposely surrendered a two-goal lead against Katsina United.
He also accused the Ibadan-based of selling out the South West derby clash against Remo Stars which they lost 1-0.
Shooting Stars denied the allegations in a statement on Friday, while demanding for proof from the presenter.
The Statement read: “We are therefore, compelled to react swiftly to these baseless, barbaric and unfounded allegations.
“We totally frowned on the unprofessional outburst of the presenter, making references to the matches, our players as well as other individuals, who he mentioned as culprits.
“We want to state clearly that nobody from the club granted an interview on the radio station and we therefore, wonder how the presenter came up with his reports that our Chairman, Honourable Babatunde Olaniyan ‘Akoro’ offered match officials money during some of our games.
“The presenter did say that we were forced to a 2-2 draw by Katsina United, claiming that we deliberately surrendered a two-goal lead.
“In the first instance, our game against Katsina United ended in a 1-0 victory in favour of Katsina United and not 2-2 as the presenter claimed during the programme.
“He did mention that we sold out our matches against Lobi Star, and Remo Stars in Ibadan, an utterance that downplays the efforts of the league champion, a team that was solid from the beginning of the season till the end.
“In view of this development, we hereby demand concrete evidence from the presenter to back up his claims; failure in which we will not hesitate to take a legal action against him and the radio station.
“While we are sad about the setback we have experienced so far this season, with apologies to our teeming supporters and fans, we want to assure them that we will never indulge in any act that can tarnish the image of the club, or that can bring the game into disrepute.
“We owe our financier and our backers the duty to finish strong in the Nigeria Premier Football League , NPFL, as the season winds down. We will surely strive to achieve the best result in every game, while looking forward to a more rewarding season ahead.”
Shooting Stars currently occupy 11th position on the log, six points clear of the relegation zone with three matches to go.
Gbenga Ogunbote’s side will take on Sunshine Stars at the Lekan Salami Stadium in Ibadan on Wednesday.
