The league has also ordered Warri Wolves to play their next three home games behind closed doors after a supporter assaulted an assistant referee in Ozoro.
Want our football coverage to show up first?
Add FootballInNigeria as a preferred source and our stories get a "Preferred" badge in your Google Top Stories, AI Overviews, and AI Mode results.
The Nigeria Premier Football League has hit Warri Wolves with a heavy punishment after an assistant referee was assaulted following their matchday 10 game against Kano Pillars. The club have been docked three points and three goals and fined, and they must play their next three home matches behind closed doors.
The game took place on Sunday at the Southern Delta University Stadium in Ozoro. The NPFL said on its official X handle that Warri Wolves failed to provide adequate security.
According to the league, that lapse allowed unauthorized persons into restricted areas and led to an assault on an assistant referee outside the stadium. It added that a Warri Wolves supporter attacked the match officials after the game, and an assistant referee suffered an injury to his nose and was bleeding.
The financial penalty comes in several parts. Warri Wolves must pay ₦2 million for failing to provide adequate and effective security, and a further ₦2 million for the assault on the match official.
The club must also pay ₦250,000 to the injured assistant referee as compensation for treatment. That brings the total owed to ₦4.25 million. Anyone following the NPFL closely can check Bet9ja’s YOHAIG code before the next round of fixtures.
Points and Goals Gone
The sporting punishment is heavier. Three points and three goals will be deducted from Warri Wolves’ accrued tally for assaulting and injuring the assistant referee.
The club will also play their next three home matches behind closed doors, with no supporters in the stands. Home games without fans take away a big part of the advantage a team normally enjoys.
The league has told the club to identify the person who carried out the assault. Warri Wolves must also provide evidence of prosecution within seven days, and they have 48 hours from the date of notice to appeal the sanctions.
NPFL followers who fancy testing their forecasting can try the Super9ja ₦10M prediction game alongside the next round of fixtures.
Security Back in the Spotlight
Security at NPFL venues has been a recurring talking point. Referees and match officials work in difficult conditions, and an assault on them undermines the whole league.
What should clubs do differently? Controlling who gets into restricted areas is the obvious start, and the league’s statement points straight at that failure.
A points deduction this early in the season can shape a club’s whole campaign. That means Warri Wolves have a lot riding on the appeal window and on how quickly they identify the supporter involved.
Their next game is away at Plateau United on Sunday, November 1, so the closed-door order does not apply yet. Readers planning a bet on the NPFL can check the current Bet9ja promotion before kick-off.
The league has made its position clear: attacks on match officials will cost clubs money, points and home support. How Warri Wolves respond over the next seven days will tell us a lot.
📌 Did You Know?
- In October 2025, the NPFL docked Kano Pillars three points and three goals and fined the club ₦9.5 million after fan violence in a matchday 8 game against Shooting Stars, leaving them bottom of the table on five points.
- In 2022, the League Management Company, which then ran the NPFL, expelled Kano Pillars chairman Suraj Yahaya for assaulting an assistant referee during a game against Dakkada.
- In that case, Kano Pillars were told to pay ₦200,000 in compensation to the assaulted assistant referee, Daramola Olalekan.
- In September 2016, the LMC ruled that an assaulted assistant referee and an injured Heartland official would each receive ₦250,000 in compensation, the same sum Warri Wolves now owe.
- At the same stage last season, Warri Wolves were in the NPFL top five after a 2-0 win over Bayelsa United.
- Ozoro, where the game was played, is in the Isoko North area of Delta State, not in Warri itself.
