Shooting Stars captain Taofeek Malomo has extended an olive branch to Remo Stars’ Sikiru Alimi following the physical harassment the ex-3Sc star suffered at the Lekan Salami Stadium, Adamasigba on Sunday.
What happened?
Christian Pyagbara scored a brace to secure all maximum points and Shooting Stars’ first-ever win over Remo Stars in the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL), but the South-West Derby was marred by the mistreatment of Alimi by some overzealous supporters.
After picking up a second yellow card for handling the ball, Alimi was booed, spat on, water-stoned and labelled a thief by Shooting Stars supporters as he obeyed his marching orders at the Lekan Salami Stadium.
The veteran striker consequently took to his X (formerly Twitter) account to express his displeasure at the actions of the 3SC fans.
“I don’t know what you were told or what you all heard, but the harassments were really unnecessary and uncalled for, to a former player,” Alimi told the culprits.
He added, “I have been a professional footballer for 10 years and thank God I have also gone and played in different countries and derbies, I know the bants and boos are also part of the game, but tonight I was physically harassed.”
He also hinted that there is much to discuss, but the appropriate time for those discussions has not yet arrived.
Malomo’s response
Reacting to the mistreatment of his former teammate, the Oluyole Warriors captain Taoofek Malomo in the spirit of sportsmanship apologised on behalf of the team and acknowledged the unacceptable behaviour of the culprits.
He also wished Alimi luck in his future matches, emphasising that he is still respected and valued by many.
“I was not happy about that too bruh, so sorry remember you’re loved by many. Good luck next game goal poacher,” the 20-year-old captain added as a comment under Alimi’s tweet.
As of the time of this report, Alimi via his account @Sikiru16 is still reacting to the unfortunate incident, but neither the NPFL nor the involved clubs have released an official statement regarding the incident.
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