By Doose Torough
A friendly football match between Mt St. Michael’s Secondary School and St. John Bosco Secondary School in Aliade, Benue State, turned chaotic last Saturday, following a heated disagreement among students.
The match, which was held at Mt St Michael’s football pitch, was intended to be a friendly competition but degenerated into a clash between the two teams due to contentious referee decisions.
Tension mounted during the match when referee Collins Fater was accused of bias against Mt St Michael’s team. According to Voice Sports, three goals scored by the host team were disallowed during critical moments of the game, which both the school officials and players saw as undue interference by the centre referee, sparking reactions among players and supporters of Mount Saint Michael’s.
As a result, there was tension as the host team felt the officiating was unfair and that they were unfairly treated which eventually escalated into a physical altercation between students of both schools.
However, the situation was promptly brought under control by the Game Master of Mt St Michael, Mr. Matthew Atile, along with other staff who intervened to bring the situation under control.
Voice Sports reported that the matter was later resolved on a penalty shootout, in which Mount Saint Michael’s emerged victorious, scoring 5 goals to 3 against the Saint John Bosco team.
While authorities of both schools have pledged to review the incident to prevent future occurrences and ensure fair play in upcoming matches.
