Don’t bring this type of rubbish match to Uyo again, says Governor Akpabio
ANGERED by the poor outing of the Super Eagles at the Uyo Stadium on Wednesday, Akwa Ibom State Governor, Godswill Akpabio, stormed off the venue immediately after the game, lamenting that the team has not justified all the resources his state has been putting into hosting their games.
Akpabio said repeatedly as he stormed out of the venue saying: “this is rubbish. They shouldn’t bring this kind of nonsense here again. It is a shame that a country like Nigeria is being disgraced by teams like Uganda. This is rubbish.”
Before the Ugandans spoilt Nigerians’ day, Akpabio had frowned at the organization of the game, saying the stadium was near empty because fans were misled on the date of the game.
“We were told that the match will hold on Thursday, but the organisers changed the date without spreading the information around. Radio and television stations have been announcing Thursday as the day of the game and here we are playing today.”
An Akwa Ibom State officials told The Guardian that the government was compelled to go on air to draw people to the stadium with the gates thrown open for fans to enter free of charge.
Meanwhile, the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) immediately after the match, met with the players to address the dwindling performance of the national team.
One of the sources at the meeting said the NFF was sad at the continued slide of the team, adding that the president, Amaju Pinnick, told the “team how he felt about the recent results, especially Nigeria’s inability to qualify for the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations and the recent spate of bad results.
“He also made it clear the NFF board was ready to do whatever it takes to get Nigeria back on track at senior level, but expects the players to buckle up too.
He wants to make things right, but he has to read the riot act to the players,” he added.
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12 Comments
Sorry my Governor. You have tried your best for football in Nigeria. Football administration is one of the most inept sectors of Nigeria’s society. They only do what they want while only clinging onto mother luck for results. Since the Westerhoff – Bonfrere eras, our football (results notwithstanding) has hinged on luck laced with the informal passion of players. Fifteen years of gradual degradation is finally catching up with us. I am sorry if I hurt someone with this note. just expressing my sadness aloud.
You have written the truth my brother.
The current NFF President is a Hoax, his election was a fraud hence deeply unfit for that seat, he talks too much, got there by talking but no work..Anyone who wants to work does not talk, since after the world cup nothing has been done in the NFF especially where the super eagles are except talk, talk, talk, politics, politics, politics..Before, they misled everybody that Keshi is the problem, see now, Keshi is temporary out until they gives him contract to empower him to work yet see the bizarre results..The players also know (as they are all professionals, no more poor like the olden days) these NFF officials led by a certain “Picnic man” is grandstanding. He is full of himself, propaganda, arrogant and a big distraction to Nigeria football.Nigeria may not get better unless this Picnic man is booted out
I can’t agree less with you. Pinnick is a complete disaster to our soccer. He talks a lot but lacks action and courage to move the game forward. But this is good for Nigeria as we have allowed politics to creep into every facet of our national psyche. I only feel sorry for the genuine fans of football.
Bring in Sunday Oliseh or at least someone who understands both Nigeria and football.
If you are talking about coaching Oliseh has no record of coaching, not a magician and will not do anything better rather NFF is the problem. Whereas we should get Olise it must be in the administration,that’s where he will suit very well with other learned ex footballers, what of Emenalo even as a consultant / technical adviser. One wonders why we keep recycling technical team between same people every year and decade, Amodu,Onigbinde,Peters, lalako, Amu etc. For God’s sake why can’t Odegbami be the NFF chairman and things will start moving in the right direction instantly. It’s all crazy politics that threw up this picnic man to kill off nigerian football finally, he is even working against himself with too much talk, speaking stupid english
I was talking about Oliseh as an administrator, not as a coach. That is where his focus has been over the past few years.
Ok, thats what I think also, I agree with you 100%. Delta state is already enjoying that advantage with Okocha as the FA Chairman, I wish other states should follow suit and very soon they will push away all those charlatans masquerading as football merchants, after all, these ex footballers are also financially wealthy so they can easily push for the best for football which gave them so much. We need Adokiye or Taribo or Finidi as Rivers FA chairman, Akpaborio as Bayelsa FA chairman, Adepoju as FA chairman Oyo, Henry Nwosu or Kanu Nwankwo as Imo FA, Tijani Babangida as kaduna FA chairman etc,The hurricane is on anyway
This is very unfortunate: NFF should put their house in order. The Bible say:Proverbs 28:2 KJV
[2] For the transgression of a land many are the princes thereof: but by a man of understanding and knowledge the state thereof shall be prolonged.
Nigeria senior football team dwindling fortunes is due to the NFF refusal to hire an expatriate to manage the team.There is need for the glass house to accept reality that the white men knew more of soccer than Africans.
Stephen Keshi won the African Nations Cup, finished 3rd at CHAN – had he been left alone to manage instead of being harassed about a having to work under a Technical Director who knows what kind of team he would have built now. How may of these marvellous expatriate managers have lead Nigeria to titles? What did Berti Vogts do for Nigerian football? Or Lars Lagerback? Both of those clowns cost Nigerians a lot of money and did nothing to progress Nigerian football. If a nation does not build up its own and invest in its own people it is doomed to failure. Your sir are a fool.
Sorry Mr. Governor of Akwa Ibom. You should understand that football is an unpredictable sports, just like anything called sports. If you don’t believe me, during the last world cup, 2014, in Brazil, did anyone ever believed or predicted that Germany would “kill” Brazil? Everyone saw that Brazil had no answer to the German system of play. Therefore, you can never underestimate any team or any country, irrespective of how big or small that country is, until the final whistle is blown.
Secondly, Nigeria might have a lot of difficulties winning trophies any time soon, due to the kind of meddling by the NFF into the affairs of the football teams and especially the National teams in Nigeria. When a coach is employed, after a lengthy interview, he/she should be given enough space to do his/her job. The coach should be allowed to pick whoever he/she feels would help him produce a team capable of winning championships. The NFF cannot attach the string of winning championships to job retention, or withholding salaries of coaches, because the coach/coaches lost crucial games/matches. This is not a way of encouraging a coach, but demoralizing/discouraging a coach.
It takes a long time to build a good andchampionship team, so Mr Akpabio and Nigerians should take heart for the loss.
We will review and take appropriate action.