AFCON 2025
The Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) has fined Sporting Lagos head coach Jeffrey Buter ₦500,000 over comments he made about the officiating after his side’s Lagos derby against Ikorodu City on September 30th.
The league body handed down the sanction after an inquest in Abuja on Wednesday. Buter appeared before the panel to explain his post-match interview after the derby, which was played on September 30. The NPFL had invited him to substantiate his allegations and bring evidence to support them.
Jeffrey Buter made an allegation on the Nigeria Referees Association and the Nigeria Premier Football League of stifling Sporting Lagos due to inconsistency in officiating.
Buter admitted that he erred in the interview. The panel weighed that admission, together with his limited experience as a coach in the league, before settling on the fine.
The NPFL also cautioned him to stop making public statements about the league and referees that he cannot substantiate. Buter has seven working days to pay the fine, and failure to do so could bring further sanctions.
The league used the case to send a message to the rest of the division. It warned coaches and club officials against reckless or inflammatory statements and urged them to send complaints about officiating through the official channels.
The ruling ends a tense week for Sporting Lagos, who returned to the top flight this season after two years in the second division.
