What began as a touchline disagreement between Ikorodu City and Remo Stars has grown into one of the most talked-about flashpoints in the Nigeria Premier League (NPFL) so far this season.
A day before Ikorodu City head to Ikenne to face Remo Stars, the South-West derby is already crackling with tension, suspicion and sharp words, even as both clubs publicly insist there is no real problem.
The controversy traces back to their last meeting in Lagos on December 28 which ended in a 1-0 win for Ikorodu City. The match ended with heated exchanges and conflicting accounts of what unfolded near the benches.
Naija News has reported that the NPFL has moved to calm rising tensions between the two South-West clubs by calling both sides to a peace meeting in Abuja.
The NPFL said the meeting is aimed at defusing a growing feud ahead of the resumption of the second stanza of the season. Both clubs have been instructed to send two senior officials each, with the league insisting that representatives must not be below the rank of team manager.
The reconciliation session is scheduled for today, January 13, at the league’s headquarters in Abuja.
According to a letter addressed to the two sides and signed by the NPFL Chief Operating Officer, Davidson Owumi, the league believes that resolving the growing acrimony between the geographically close rivals will help foster peace and reinforce the spirit of sportsmanship in the championship.
Ikorodu City and Remo Stars clear the air
In an interview with Naija News, Ikorodu City media officer Sam Bamisebi did not hide his frustration, dismissing claims of assault as baseless and damaging.
Bamisebi said: “I don’t see where the issue is. But yeah, Ramos Stars came to play at our place. And their team manager got a red card and he sat down in an unsolicited place. He didn’t go inside the dressing room and stuff. And during that time, obviously, he was sitting down; nobody disturbed him. But then he still went on to go and start dishing out information at the back of the bench.”
Bamisebi explained that the structure of Ikorodu City’s Onikan Stadium (Mobolaji Johnson Arena) media and VIP section allows proximity to the technical area, a structure which he believed helped the team manager to access the bench illegally.
“You know, if you’ve been to our stadium, you know that you can access the bench from being up in that media, that VIP site,” he said. “So yeah, I think that’s where the issue was. So people were like, you have a red card; instead of sitting calmly, you are still going around talking. So they had to take him out, you know, but eventually they brought him back and told him to calm down and stuff like that.”
What angered the Lagos club most, according to Bamisebi, was the claim that an assault took place.
“So only for us to get home, we are hearing that Ramo Stars wrote to the NPFL that they were assaulted. Where’s the assault? I don’t understand. Somebody collected a red card, and you are still saying he was assaulted. I really don’t get it,” he said.
“So that’s probably what they want to talk about. And so we, too, have to respond. I don’t understand the assault you’re talking about. Which assault are you talking about? People should stop labelling us.”
Bamisebi also pointed to past incidents involving Remo Stars’ visits to Ikorodu, suggesting a pattern of controversy whenever the Ogun State club come calling.
“The last time they came here, there was an issue. A lot of allegations. Their player collected a red card too. You know, that was where we got that one game behind closed doors or something. Right? So it’s just like every time you come, sometimes you get a bad name,” he said.
“It’s basically just social media talks. You know, this club said this one, this other club wrote back to the NPFL.”
Despite the noise, Ikorodu City insist they are focused on football alone as they prepare for the return leg in Ikenne at 4 p.m. on Wednesday, January 14.
“About the match on Wednesday, we are going away. There’s nothing for us to do. We are going there to play our game as usual. They are the home side. So whatever they say, goes,” Bamisebi added.
On the other side, Remo Stars have chosen caution over confrontation. Speaking to Naija News, the club’s media director, Oladimeji Oshode, declined to engage deeply with the saga, offering a brief response that raised as many questions as it answered.
“There is no known issue,” Oshode said, refusing to go further.
That restraint has not reduced the sense of unease around the fixture, especially given the contrasting positions of both teams on the league table. Ikorodu City head into the derby sitting third, a remarkable position after 19 matches, with 32 points.
Remo Stars, the defending champions of the NPFL, find themselves in unfamiliar territory. They are currently 16th, struggling for consistency and under pressure to arrest their slide when the second stanza of the campaign resumes on Wednesday.
With the NPFL preventing further escalation, the focus is expected to shift back to the pitch, starting with the South-Western derby in Ikenne on Wednesday.
