EXCLUSIVE: Match Ticket Sale Scandal: Enugu State Government Probes Rangers Management

Posted by African Examiner Exclusive Reports, Latest Headlines, Sports News Saturday, July 9th, 2016

By IGNATIUS OKPARA, Enugu

ENUGU, NIGERIA (AFRICAN EXAMINER) – The Paul Chibuzor led Management of Rangers International FC of Enugu are presently in trouble, over their alleged continuous declaration of false amount realised from gate takings during the club’s home matches in the ongoing Nigeria professional football league NPFL.

A case in hand is the week19 encounter between the team and Heartland FC of Owerri.

African Examiner Sports reliably gathered from a source close to the state ministry of Youth and sports who craved anonymity, that the state government and financial of the flying Antelopes are bitter with the lack of transparency and accountability which it said, had over the years, remained the watch word of the leadership of the club.

Angered by the alleged insincerity in handling the team’s funds, the Commissioner in charge of Sports in the state, Charles Ndukwe, it was learnt, has issued Rangers marketing manager, Ignatius Okafor, query over the 700,000 (seven hundred thousand naira) the management declared as proceed from the week 19th Rangers/ Heartland match in Enugu.

According to the Source, the query action was taken after officials of the sports ministry did some simple Arithmetic on the number of gate tickets that were printed and sold during the week 19th game.

The said match is believed to be one of the most highly attended Rangers home night matches since the inception of the ongoing 2015/2016 league season.

Our Sports Correspondent reports that Rangers management charges 1000, for VIP seats, 400 for cover stand, while the popular area of the Nnamdi Azikiwe stadium is 200 during all its home matches.

The source said Enugu state government had expected Rangers management to declare at least, 2 million naira and above at the end of such key night home matches, based on the fact that fans always fill the stadium to the brim.

“But unfortunately, some individuals in the club are now using the night matches as avenue to enrich their pockets”

“How could someone tell me that only N700, 000 was realised from sale of ticket during Rangers/ Heartland night match, even when the 25,000 capacity Nnamdi Azikiwe stadium was filled to the brim with fans” the source?

“This act of financial insincerity on the part of Rangers management is highly unacceptable to government, because despite all the monies the club generates, government still give them subvention.

Meanwhile, it was furthered gathered that as a way of tackling the Rangers match ticket scandal in future, the Sports Commissioner, has resolved to henceforth, contract issues concerning ticket to private individual or cooperate firm, as obtained elsewhere.

Efforts to speak with media officer of the club, Mr. Foster Chime, on the issue was unsuccessful, as his cell phone was switch-off as at the time of filling this report.

The flying Antelopes, currently occupies the 2nd position in the ongoing NPFL table.