The ongoing second edition of the Barrister Nyeson Wike FCT School Sports Festival is facing uncertainties as participating schools and officials struggle with a distorted timetable and a lack of logistics for safe and fair competition.
Participants and organisers have reported discrepancies in the schedules, leading to misunderstandings about when events were set to take place.
This situation has not only affected the athletes’ preparations but has also caused frustration among coaches and spectators who relied on accurate timings for attendance and support.
Many schools expressed concerns about the lack of clear communication regarding the event timetable, which allegedly led to the walkover of FOSLA Academy Karshi’s female football team by GSS Karu.
The disorganisation highlighted the need for better coordination and more reliable methods of disseminating information if the festival is to achieve its primary objective.
Speaking to LEADERSHIP Sports about the alleged walkover of his Academy’s female football team, Barrister Jamil Alewo Abdullahi, Director of Sports at FOSLA Academy Karshi, insisted that their female football team is still very much in the competition, stating that they will not accept the absurd walkover of his team in a match of which they were not duly informed regarding the date and time.
“We were officially told that three teams registered for the female football event. Two of the teams were drawn to play each other, while FOSLA was drawn a bye, which means we did not have any team to play on the first day. We were working on those arrangements, only to hear that we have been given a walkover. What kind of absurdity is that?
“There is a platform for all communications concerning the tournament, and if they claim they informed us that we were scheduled to play on Tuesday against GSS Karu, they should provide evidence of their claim that we were duly informed about the match.
“We are entitled to play the match and we have petitioned the organisers, which was duly received and acknowledged,” Abdullahi stated.
He further criticised the poor organisation of the competition, claiming it fell short of expected standards.
“There are many shortcomings, and you can see from here that there is no football net to capture if a goal is scored. The lateness with which fixtures are released to participating teams is very absurd; there are no medical operatives or security personnel on the ground in case of emergencies.”
When contacted about the alleged irregularities affecting the competition, the FCT Director of School Sports under the Education Secretariat, Mr Hashimu Adamu, insisted that the FOSLA Academy football coach was duly informed about their female team’s match but failed to show up.
“The coach was told that his girls were supposed to be at GSS Karu for their match. He was informed in the morning and by one o’clock in the afternoon, he had not moved his girls there for the match, yet he was able to bring the boys’ team there for their own match.
“Yes, they were on standby while other teams played their matches. The bye for them was on the first day, which was Monday, and yesterday (Tuesday) was the second day of the competition. So, they cannot say that other teams have not played,” Adamu said.
According to Adamu, the competition has been fantastic so far, with no recorded incidents.
“Apart from this complaint from FOSLA in the Karu centre, the competition is going on fantastically in all centres without any hitch, and we are impressed with the performance of the schools thus far.”