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‘Kaduna fans not happy with Enyeama’

By Ezeocha Nzeh, Abuja
18 June 2015   |   5:29 am
General Secretary of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) yesterday attributed the unlawful behaviour of Kaduna fans at last weekend’s 2017 AFCON qualifying match between the Super Eagles and Chad to the supporters’ anger over a comment by team captain, Vincent Enyeama, who condemned the federation’s decision to take the match to the Ahmadu Bello Stadium.…

Enyeama-Pg-61-27-03-15-CopyGeneral Secretary of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) yesterday attributed the unlawful behaviour of Kaduna fans at last weekend’s 2017 AFCON qualifying match between the Super Eagles and Chad to the supporters’ anger over a comment by team captain, Vincent Enyeama, who condemned the federation’s decision to take the match to the Ahmadu Bello Stadium.

Enyeama had expressed his dissatisfaction with the choice of Kaduna for the match, citing security fears caused by the Boko Haram terrorists in the North.

Sanusi regretted that the fans decided to go on rampage in celebration of the Eagles’ victory over Chad, adding that the federation had taken so many measures to control such behaviour.

He regretted that such condemnable comments could come from the team’s captain, stressing that it could have led to the demonstration by Kaduna fans, even as he disclosed that the federation envisaged such reactions from the fans hence it mobilized enough security to curtail them.

“A lot has happened with the Kaduna match and we did a lot to control it. Kaduna fans were unhappy with comments from people over the choice of the town for the match. They planned to protest such comments with placards. We had to mobilize enough security to curtail them. That is why we should work hard and take measures to control such comments, especially when you know that you are an international figure. We have played several matches in Kaduna in the p

3 Comments

  • Author’s gravatar

    please help us tell all this kaduna bastards to fight bokoaram and stop this sentiment at ones Nonsense people,

  • Author’s gravatar

    It is unfortunate for a well revered player like Enyeama to make such a comment after the whole match went on peacefully. Is he saying that no body is living in that part of the country? Even some people in his town are residing in Kaduna who are not ready to even park for their homes. Does it mean that the high rate of kidnaping, rituals and other forms of crimes in other parts of Nigeria disqualify such areas from hosting the national team? Let us not bring sentiments into the only thing that is uniting us in this country-FOOTBALL.Only two stadiums in this country are favourable to our national team: Kaduna and Calabar. This could be due to the disposition of the supporters in those localities.
    Boko Haram is not in control of Nigeria, very soon they will start killing themselves. Enyeama should apologize to his fans that he did not meant to deprive them from watching his brilliant performances.
    To those importing sentiments into the issue, most of those fans may not be from that part of the country, If you insult those them, you may be insulting your village brother since Kaduna is a cosmopolitan city.

  • Author’s gravatar

    There is nothing wrong in Enyeama expressing concern over adequate security of his their lives in Kaduna. No part of the north is immunned from the attack of Boko Haram, particularly in a high profile gathering like an international football match.
    Enyeama owes no one apology, because it is common knowledge that the north in general is not safe at the moment for international engagements. Though the match went peacefully, that does not mean that the element of fear of the BH has been addressed.
    As for the NFF summoning Enyeama for disciplinary hearing, that to me is a joke. Is Enyeama their employee? He is only an invitee for a specific assignment. And once that assignment is performed, they have no hold on him as he in turn owes them no obligations.
    The worst case scenario, is not inviting him for subsequent matches and he at the same time, also he reserves the right not to honour subsequent invitations.
    The best NFF could have done in a simple action is to have written him, warning of his utterances and also reminding him of his responsibilities as the team captain. This issue of summoning him to a disciplinary hearing over comments every other Nigerian utter everyday even in the print and electronic media is absurd.
    If the truth will be said, is it not a matter of fact that the fear of the next dastardly act of BH especially in the north is gripping every Nigerian ? Why should Enyeama be hounded and harassed for stating the obvious?