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Sports Journalist Blames NFF For Super Eagles’ Loss

Sports Editor at The Sun Newspapers, George Aluo, says nothing has changed in the crisis rocking the Nigerian Football Federation and this has started affecting … Continue reading Sports Journalist Blames NFF For Super Eagles’ Loss


Super Eagles

Super EaglesSports Editor at The Sun Newspapers, George Aluo, says nothing has changed in the crisis rocking the Nigerian Football Federation and this has started affecting the Super Eagles’ performances.

He said this on Channels Television’s breakfast programme, Sunrise Daily, on Monday, less that 48 hours after the country’s national team lost 2-3 at home to Congo in their opening qualifying match for the 2015 African Cup of Nations.

There had been a deadline of 8AM Nigerian Time on Monday September 8, for the Nigerian Football Federation to settle its crisis or face FIFA sanction, but Aluo said that those parading themselves as NFF board had refused to heed the instructions of FIFA despite having been given enough grace.

He linked the Super Eagles’ home loss to Congo in the AFCON qualifier to the NFF crisis. He said that Nigeria lost because it failed to do the right thing.

A direct fallout of why it is not good for our football was our losing to Congo. For 40 years Nigeria has never lost to Congo, we have never lost a game in Calabar, the worst result result we’ve gotten was the draw we got against Kenya.

That is because we did not do our homework before that game and in football these days, every country gets to these battles prepared.”

He noted that as things stood, everything was pointing to Nigeria being sanctioned and the implication of this would be that Nigeria, who are the AFCON Defending Champion, might not be at Morocco 2015, as there is usually no second chance to replay any missed qualifier.

It would be very very painful if Nigerian is not in Morocco 2015 just because some people are holding our football to ransom,” he said.

He stressed that FIFA is not interested in any of the candidates vying for the leadership of the NFF, as all that the world football governing body wants is for Nigeria to respect its statutes.

He stated that as long as a country is part of an international organisation it must abide by its statutes. “We can’t just do it our own way,” he added.

He noted that the crisis situation had been caused by the personal interests of some persons, adding that the interest of the Government, who is the main financier of the sport in Nigeria, has also been an issue as FIFA frowns at their usual control of the game.

Government should respect FIFA’s statutes,” he said. He added that Nigeria was not the only country where Government puts money in football but what they do is to allow the system run according to the rules of FIFA.

Why is it that it is every four years after the World Cup that we have this same crisis?” he asked, as he emphasized the sharp practices of some stakeholders which, he said, were meant to bend the rules to enforce their personal interests.

In the interest of our nation, Giwa should step down, and there should be a fresh election.”