EXPOSED: Cynosure FC Chairman’s Old Tactics Resurface in 2025 Match Fixing Scandal
The Nigerian football community is once again witnessing a familiar drama, one that appears every time promotion to a higher league is within reach. At the centre of this controversy is none other than Prince Chidiebere Nweze, the chairman of Cynosure FC, who has gained a reputation for using false alarms and smear campaigns to push his club’s promotion ambitions.
The planned NLO Promotion playoff in Port Harcourt center had to be shifted due to the plots by the Cynosure FC chairman who has been suspended by the NLO but has dragged the league to court.
In 2021, the same pattern played out in Calabar. Nweze allegedly raised alarms, paid off agents, and managed to wrestle the promotion playoff slot from Cofine FC through backdoor dealings and media noise. Now, in 2025, he is back at it again, this time targeting E World FC, the rightful contenders for promotion in the Nationwide League One (NLO) playoffs from Calabar Center.
Just days before a crucial playoff match involving E World FC and Liberty Lions FC of Calabar, the Cynosure chairman reportedly attempted to influence the outcome in his favour. According to an official letter from the NLO Secretariat, Nweze contacted the chairman of Liberty Lions and asked him to help sway the result of the match against E World FC. His request was flatly rejected, with the Liberty Lions boss refusing to be part of what he described as “shenanigans.”
Now exposed, Nweze has switched tactics, from behind the scenes lobbying to public blackmail. He is making loud, baseless claims of match fixing against others, the very act he was caught attempting. His aim? To tarnish the image of E World FC, generate public sympathy, and pressurise the NLO to cancel results that didn’t favour his team.
This isn’t just a reckless accusation, it is a calculated move to defame opposition clubs, stall the playoff process, and twist public opinion through paid media agents. These media outlets, acting on instruction, publish misleading stories to paint Nweze as a victim while shifting attention from his own wrongdoing.
But this time, the NLO is not turning a blind eye.
The league body has officially opened an investigation into the matter. A petition has been filed against Nweze, and the NLO has confirmed that they are acting strictly according to their rule book. Disciplinary steps have already begun, including suspending the Cynosure FC Chairman and slamming the club with a ₦500,000 fine.
Rather than show remorse, the Cynosure chairman has decided to escalate the matter, announcing plans to sue the NLO in court. In his words, the suspension of the Port Harcourt Zone 4 of the playoffs, was a deliberate act to “preempt” his legal action.
But many in the football community are not buying his version of events. Observers say this is a repeat of the 2021 saga, with the same aim: create chaos, drag clubs’ names through the mud, and push the NLO into making a decision that favours Cynosure FC.
Unfortunately for Nweze, the evidence against him appears too strong this time. His own actions have been documented and reported, and the Liberty Lions chairman’s testimony has only strengthened the case.
As investigations continue, many are calling on the NLO and the Nigeria Football Federation to stand firm, resist pressure, and ensure that justice is served. Clubs that earn their place on the pitch must not be denied by politics and media noise.
It is time to put an end to the familiar dance, where false alarms and blackmail are used as tools to steal promotion from hard working clubs. Nigerian football deserves better.
