Heartland captain and centre back Chinedu Efugh has said that his side deserved a point at El Kanemi Warriors, but blamed the referee for the result.
The Naze Millionaires lost 1-0 to El Kanemi Warriors in Saturday’s Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) matchday 35 clash at the Maiduguri Township Stadium.
Striker Ibrahim Mustapha’s 9th minute match-winner proved adequate to hand the Maiduguri Warriors all three points.
Efugh said that the loss to El Kanemi Warriors is a huge setback in his side's fight to escape relegation in the on-going top-flight.
“The referee in today’s (Saturday) NPFL matchday 35 tie at El Kanemi Warriors is the worst I have ever seen in the whole world.
“El Kanemi Warriors’ goal is incontestable, very good goal, but the clean penalty we got could only be denied in the entire world by the referee that officiated today’s game.
“We abandoned the matc,h but were persuaded by the coach and other team officials to continue with the match.
“I tell you nobody would have questioned the penalty if it was given by the referee but he decided and deliberately too, to kill our joy.
“Of course we out-played the hosts, El Kanemi Warriors, to ably deserve a point in the encounter.
“The loss has turned out to be a bad result in our fight to avoid relegation in the ongoing top-flight.
“However, we are refusing to be discouraged by the referee-assisted defeat at El Kanemi Warriors but to push harder till the end of the season.
“There is still hope for us to survival the drop with three remaining matches on the season’s calendar,” the former Enugu Rangers strongman told supersport.com.
The loss at Warriors leaves Heartland in 18th position on the top-flight log on 37 points, 19 adrift of league leaders, Rivers United.
credit: supersport