The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has decried a stream of incorrect reports being peddled in sections of the media, in connection with Tuesday’s FIFA World Cup playoff match between Nigeria and Ghana at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja.
NFF General Secretary, Dr Mohammed Sanusi said on Friday: “We are alarmed at the influx of incorrect reports, otherwise known as fake news, mostly in the social media. There is no truth to the reports that the Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja has been banned for any length of time by FIFA. It is a concoction by some persons with fertile imagination. The NFF has not received any such communication from either FIFA or CAF.
“There has also been an outlandish report that the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) equipment that was installed for the match had been stolen. We initially thought this was an April Fool prank but it is alarming that some media outlets are taking it serious. Nothing of such happened. The VAR equipment remains intact and has been returned to the FIFA office in Zurich, Switzerland by Sebastian Runge, FIFA’s Head of Technology.”
Sanusi added: “The NFF understands that Nigerians in their generality were sorely disappointed by the result of the match, which came short of having the Super Eagles at the World Cup. It is a painful situation for everyone, including ourselves at the Federation. However, we are appealing that the propensity for half truths and outright falsehood be discouraged. We believe that the present squad of Super Eagles is still capable of achieving great things.”
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COMMENTS
Useless fools!!! How did that translate to football development in Nigeria?
If that stadium was ban, don’t we have other better stadium in uyo.
By the way what is amoju still doing in glass house?
Ho if He thinks time will heal peoples wound this time around na lie how. Operation amoju must go has been initialized alerady.
You don’t have to make a fool of yourself. Be calming down is what the man said. Remember, this man is far better than your unknown father if he is still alive and if he is dead, it is even a worst scenerio. Be calming down. Oga Sanusi, how far with any arrangement to move our football forward?
Nice one. Be calming down.
These are his words why I like what he said..
“The NFF understands that Nigerians in their generality were sorely disappointed by the result of the match, which came short of having the Super Eagles at the World Cup. It is a painful situation for everyone, including ourselves at the Federation. However, we are appealing that the propensity for half truths and outright falsehood be discouraged. We believe that the present squad of Super Eagles is still capable of achieving great things.
@bob or bulb we know people like you.
Everyone of you who have decided to move this nation backwards will never know peace including you.
Since you and your group of vulture has been planing of what benefits is to Nigeria development. You had better quiet bob and never write.
You people should go and learn from other small African country.
By fire by force Babalawo bearded looking Amaju and co should do the needful like the Algerian fa all resigned. #AMAJUPINNICKANDHISBOARDMEMBERSMUSTGO
First and foremost it was an error to take that match to Abuja stadium Which does not offer home advantage to Eagles. People who have been to abuja who wana tell the truth will agree that Abuja does not have the average Nigeria street vibes that gives a team a feeling of playing at home.I viewed the stadium during the match ; no one was singing, chanting or dancing. Very Few wore green and white or painted their faces green and white. It’s fans who create the home advantage vibes not the stadium .NFF pls get these into your heads. The capital of Brazil is Brazilia but they play their crucial home games in Maracana stadium in Rio Di jero. Ghana manipulated their match to Kumasi away from Accra. We saw what happened. SE draw a match they would have won because of the vibes the Kumasi fans generated. They played the role of the 12th player very well. Let me reiterate the abode of Crazy football fans in Nigeria is in some cities such as lagos, Calabar, Kaduna, Enugu, Benin and port Harcourt. In this cities fans besieged the hotel were Eagles are camping and start playing , singing and dancing hours before the game, just to say the least. Ghana were so comfortable in abuja bcoa the vibe generated was that of a Neutral ground. We all saw the outcome. Capital of Germany is Berlin but crucial games are taken of Alainz arena which is the abode of the craziest Germany football fans. All these football nations understand the role of the 12th player in winning crucial games and take advantage of it. We aren’t saying the abuja stadium the gulp billions should be used at all..we can always play friendlies and less crucial games in there. That’s what other football nations do. Let me confess that I lost all hope of SE winning as soon as Abuja was announced as the host because I knew what Ghana can bring to the table.I raised an article here with respect to that effect but I was jettisoned It’s a pity people who run football in this climes don’t know what that are doing.
Leave the past and look forward, Eagles won’t be in Qatar. How do we move our football forward? I will suggest that the NFF marshall our plans to engage the secondary schools in football activities since uni is on strike.
Bros, leave excuses of the 12th man. When you are good, you are good. Also, there is the place of tactics, self drive and passion from all major stakeholders particularly the players who are the actual gladiators on the pitch, aside Osihmen I didn’t see any passion from our palyers (Ghanian players wanted this more and they gave it their all, even with the most mediocre Ghanian team in years).
Where was the Brazilian 12th man @ the w/cup in 2014 when Germany disgraced them right at their own backyard.
Our ouster was just self inflicted and it was already waiting to happen.
A country where all of their best hands in almost every industry (health, ICT, Academics,sports et’al) are regularly leaving in droves. So, the issue is actually bigger than me and you I swear.
Peace bro
I don’t understand all this ABUJA fans are not football crazy, I’ve seen multiple of your comments with the same phrases, with all the crazy fans at Baba Yara stadium, Ghana still cant score at home, if we can withstand that pressure, what makes you think they Ghana cant withstand the Lagos frenzy ? Will 80,000 wild football fans make TOGO beat Brazil or Spanish team ? If you are not good you are good no other way around it, does that team looks like scoring? even if they play in Lagos or Edo. That Abuja support is enough for them to win, we are playing an under average Ghana team and not Brazil, Spain or Argentina, do we need knives waging fans to play good football and win ?
That means you want nff to catch them young. Really, we should be about the way forward.
Whatever they are going to do they should ensure we won the next Afcon, that should comfort the aggrieved.
That stadium carry bad luck right from the day Brazil open it with 3:0. We have Uyo stadium and lagos. Why not carry the match come there? They are doing politics with people happiness. Sack nff chairman and save Nigeria football. Una dey involve APC and PDP for football. Black people na animals. You can’t reason well.
Abuja stadium that carried bad luck, why not Uyo?una dey play politics with people’s happiness. Pdp and Apc ndi oshi. Don’t forget that Brazil come with home base Boyz and few foreign base players come hammer us there 3:0 with okocha and kanu in that match. NIGERIA FOOTBALL FA never get sense. Politics kill una there
Dr. Alhaji Sanusi, being NFF Secretary General is not a licence to write long and provocative epistles to an aggrieved public. We await your resignation letter soonest
That is good news but Mr. Sanusi, what is Fifa position concerning the abnormal behavior of the fans? Kindly update us.
He said and I quote, “The NFF has not received any such communication from either FIFA or CAF”. My understanding of this is the NFF is still waiting to hear from FIFA. Let’s be patient.
Lol….
Super Eagles even went up 2 steps on the latest fifa ranking and 4 steps in the previous months. NFF must be doing something we haven’t seen yet.
@Ebhos, it is Eguavoen and not the NFF.
Fifa ranking for the month of December:
Nig, 36th
For the month of February: 30th
I PRAY THAT FIFA WILL BAN NIGERIA FOR 100 YEARS USELESS COUNTRY
NOTHING GOOD WILL COME OUT NIGERIA
Yes o my brother we did not want to play football again,the super chicken or wetin dey call themselves should stop giving hypertension
Let’s just pray fifa won’t suspend the super eagles from participating in future games. What the fans did was bad but hopefully God can be a Nigerian.
The match might even be replayed.
No be only replay.
Hahaha for your dream. Replay???
I don’t think it will be replayed because Ghana is already in Qatar for the draws. I think we should wait to hear from fifa on the way forward.
Exactly why I advised the NFF General Secretary, Dr Mohammed Sanusi to keep us posted.
Somebody said God can be a Nigerian, I laugh. You want God to come and live in a country wet no get nepa?
That goal scored by Osimhen should not have been canceled, because, he was not in an offside position as at the time the ball was kicked and the Ghanian GK appears to have touched the ball before him.
Not really happy we didn’t make it to the WC this time but became relieved after taking time to think about the ugly scenarios that could have transpired if we had qualified:
1. Picnic and his cohorts will receive FIFA largesse and pocket it for their selfish interests.
2. Picnic will use the WC qualification appearance and money to force his way to win the a third term election.
3. Picnic will start picnicking across Europe and retiree league cities with a wrong impression of Meeting players but collecting bribes..
4.Egu will draw up his list of possible first 11 and allow others to add
5. Amuneke will collect and add his own paddy/people
6. Salisu will collect and add his own.
7. Aigbogun will collect and his own
8. The worst GK trainer of all time Agu will do his usual
9. Deserving players like Ejuke, Adeleye, Awoniyi, Olayinka, Collins Sor, Al-hassan Yussuf and others will be placed on stand by for retirees and bench warmers.
10. Like the last cup, the team will get knocked out in the group stage and Picnic will still be doing his think..
None of current nff executives should be on the next board. They should be thoroughly investigated.
Aww how desperate are you , so desperate that you wish an offside goal was given to you , even after tat dubious penalty . You guys are in denial , let it go your team is not good you don’t do anything at the World Cup anyways of all the times Naija has been there you never got past the round of 16 yet u people are acting like the World Cup is a fxkn birth right
U need a CHINA MADE brain because honestly u wasting the God given one haha
U clown
@ Larry
Don’t know what the problem is with Nigeria politicians. If this man has shame he and his cronies should have throw in the resignation since all this days instead he still have the guts to be granting interview. Algeria FA chairman and the coach just did. Oga Sanusi and that Baba alawo Pinnick plz have shame and do the honourable thing so that our football can move forward stop apologising to us every time you will. This is the
second time within 2 months.
@tayo don’t mind them, how does that write up translate to way forward.
Banning or banning of stadium is the least of problem we have at hand.
You people should watch it, nothing will change.
Is still going to be the same set of at the glass house and same appointment with some coated material to cajole people.
Whether the MKO Abiola Stadium is banned or not is of no consequence to the status of football in Nigeria which has been damaged and disgraced beyond repair
@Ebhos, exactly the reason why I find it interesting to comment on these write-ups. My problem with some members of the NFF right now is that either they don’t know what football is really about or they simply went with the winds by disengaging the SE coaching crew after the 1 all score draw which favored Ghana. It is on record coach Eguavoen met the SE in 36th position, Fifa ranking. Then took it to 30th position within a spate of two months which means getting to the 5th position wasn’t going to be far off. To my understanding, that is enough to retain the coaching crew may be with some adjustments and being given more incentives for better performance in subsequent games. But this is Nigeria, a very funny country where scapegoating seems to be the norm.
That brings us to the notion of continuity @Abbas. Our main challenge in Nigeria generally is lack of continuity in all spheres and not untill we inculcate continuity in our national policy, the country is headed for the dogs. Win win win and win, why not? It is better we win but when we do lose, we don’t have to dismantle everything and start to build from the scratch. Whatever happen to going back to the drawing board. How are we even sure the ones that may be appointed will be better than the ones that improved on our standing.
Probably you guys didn’t quite understand what Sanusi NFF is saying. One, NFF apologized over the loss of Qatar ticket, it equally sympathized with the aggrieved but warned that destruction is not a better option. And concerning the fate of Eguavoen and his team, NFF has only disengaged them which isn’t the same thing as sack. I have the feelings Eguavoen will remain at the helm of affairs but he certainly needs to modify his crew by bringing in a new goal keeper trainer. My major issue is the NFF should concentrate more with local inputs than always waiting for Nigeria foreign bred or base players. We all saw the so-called Dennis, Basset and co couldn’t do much and now the blame goes elsewhere.
I was indeed happy when Dr. Mohammed Sanusi said the VAR equipment remains intact and has been returned to the FIFA office in Zurich, Switzerland by Sebastian Runge, FIFA’s Head of Technology. That would have been our biggest undoing. Than God.
You can say that again. I almost pissed in my pants. Fifa will just ban us for well up to 5years.
That is true. Well let’s wait to hear from Dr. Sanusi on the meaning of NFF disengagement and not untill then, I personally can’t see any reason for that. Eguavoen and his coaching team were not the people who made the away goal rule and must not be punished unnecessarily. Or is the NFF going to sack the Super Eagles players? There is no need for all that rather let’s work on our lapses if any and improve while continuing with what we have. A bird at hand.
@Clare what do you mean by saying Eguavpn is not the one who made the away goal rule? Why do you people like to justify failure with flimsy excuses? If his team had won either of the leg would we have been in this mess? Who is talking about away goal or whatever, the bottom line is eagles lost the qualification to Ghana so forget about how it happened. Supposing it was an oyinbo that is the coach you want be saying all these gibberish but out of sentiments you are giving excuses to justify failure. When the one that was winning was sack simply because of good football you are now telling us that the one whose incompetent cost us two good competition should be retained. How laughable, people like you are the problem of this country. Thunder fire all of you there.
@Clare what do you mean by saying Eguavpn is not the one who made the away goal rule? Why do you people like to justify failure with flimsy excuses? If his team had won either of the leg would we have been in this mess? Who is talking about away goal or whatever, the bottom line is eagles lost the qualification to Ghana so forget about how it happened. Supposing it was an oyinbo that is the coach you want be saying all these gibberish but out of sentiments you are giving excuses to justify failure. When the one that was winning was sack simply because of good football you are now telling us that the one whose incompetent cost us two good competition should be retained. How laughable, people like you are the problem of this country. Thunder fire all of you there.
Childish comment.
Despite the hullabaloo, the Eagles lost to Fifa rule and not to Ghana. So why do we have to worry ourselves? The incident afterwards should be investigated and those to have found to have vandalized Stadium equipments should be penalized.
Exactly thoughts.
You lost the World Cup ticket after all the bragging hahahaha. Surely you knew of the away goal rule before the game . Your naija team needed a dubious penalty to score at home , we could’ve played that game for 10 years and you still wouldn’t have scored
M. Abbas, considering the statistics in his favour, an arrangement to put the present coaching crew to work may be under deliberation. But let’s thank God there is no ban.
@Selfmade King is one of us. No need to get angry with him.