Dynamo Academica Fined by Benin Youth League for Award Ceremony Incident

The Benin City Youth League has fined Dynamo Academica Football Academy ₦100,000. This is for actions that they say damaged the competition’s integrity and reputation during the league’s closing ceremony.

The fine came after Dynamo Academica chose to hold and give out its own awards to players right after they won the 2026 edition of the league.

In a statement from the league secretary, Kennedy Ugbodaga, the organisers congratulated Dynamo Academica on their victory. But they criticized the club for their behavior during the official award ceremony.

The league said that the club conducted an independent awards presentation on the same stage, right after the league organisers finished their awards.

They called this action inappropriate, unprofessional, and disrespectful to the competition, other clubs, match officials, sponsors, guests, and all other stakeholders involved.

“It was observed that immediately after the conclusion of the league’s official presentation ceremony, Dynamo Academica proceeded to organise and present its own club awards to its players on the same podium and within the official tournament environment,” the statement said.

The organisers pointed out that football competitions follow set rules. These rules say that official award presentations are only for the competition organisers.

“Across organised football, official award ceremonies remain the exclusive responsibility of the competition organiser. Clubs do not stage parallel award presentations during an organiser’s official ceremony,” the statement added.

The Benin City Youth League said they see the club’s actions as an attempt to steal the spotlight from the official awards. They warned that this kind of behavior could create problems in future tournaments.

The league made this decision after talking to football administrators and competition organisers.

“Accordingly, the Benin City Youth League hereby imposes a fine of One Hundred Thousand Naira (₦100,000) on Dynamo Academica Football Academy for conduct considered prejudicial to the image and integrity of the competition,” the statement explained.

Besides the fine, the league also ordered Dynamo Academica to write a formal apology to the league management and other key people within 48 hours.

They warned that not following this order could lead to more serious consequences.

The league also told clubs they cannot hold their own award presentations, give out medals, trophies, certificates, cash gifts, or any other player recognition during official league ceremonies without permission in writing first.

The statement warned that any future violations could lead to tougher penalties, like bigger fines, suspension from league activities, losing privileges, or other disciplinary actions.

“Football is built on respect. Respect for the competition, respect for fellow participants, and respect for the institutions that organise the game. Every club is expected to uphold these values without exception,” the league said.

The Benin City Youth League said they will keep working to ensure professionalism, discipline, and integrity. They will continue to take strong actions against behaviors that go against these values.

At the time of this report, Dynamo Academica had not publicly responded to the sanctions.