Former Nigeria international and current Sporting Director of Enyimba, Ifeanyi Ekwueme, has labelled Al-Masry—Enyimba’s opponents in today’s [Sunday] CAF Confederation Cup Group D Matchday 5 fixture—as “mind game noise makers,” Completesports.com reports.
The People’s Elephant, back-to-back CAF Champions League winners in 2003 and 2004, must secure an outright victory in the do-or-die clash to keep their hopes alive of advancing to the knockout stage of the only African interclub competition they have yet to win.
The high-stakes encounter will take centre stage at the Nest of Champions, Godswill Akpabio International Stadium, Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, in Nigeria’s South-South region.
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Ekwueme expressed displeasure over what he described as the Egyptian team’s unprofessional behaviour, accusing them of attempting to disrupt Enyimba’s preparations through logistical manipulations.
“This kind of behaviour is quite unprofessional,” Ekwueme remarked. “Attempting to manipulate logistics and CAF regulations is wrong. They hid their travel plans from us, booked local tickets without involving our management, and then sent invoices for refunds. Imagine their tricks!”
The former Polonia Warsaw midfielder compared this to the challenges Enyimba faced during their away trip to Egypt in the reverse fixture.
“In Egypt, we were made to pay for our training pitch, and we had limited access to the stadium. Now, they want to train on the Uyo pitch for two days before the match, which contravenes CAF’s rules,” Ekwueme stated.
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Despite Al-Masry’s perceived antics, Ekwueme stressed that Enyimba would remain focused.
“We have always treated visiting teams well. We won’t be distracted by their antics. Our goal is to speak on the pitch, win the match, and secure the vital three points by God’s grace,” he concluded.
The match will be Stanley Eguma’s fourth in charge of Enyimba, having recorded two wins and a draw across his first three games in both the NPFL and continental competitions.
By Sab Osuji
