Confed Cup: Rivers United accuse NFF of sabotage
Our attention has been drawn to a release being circulated in the media credited to Alhaji Ibrahim Gusau, President of the Nigeria Football Federation titled “UPCOMING RIVERS CAF FEDERATIONS CUP MATCH.: GUSAU CLEARS THE AIR, DEBUNKS ALLEGED NEGLIGENCE” purportedly responding to an article written and published by Harrison Jalla Chairman PFAN Task Force titled ” CAF CONFEDERATION CUP: RIVERS UNITED PLAYING OUTSIDE ITS HOME GROUND NOT IN THE INTEREST OF NIGERIA FOOTBALL”.
Rivers United feels extremely embarrassed over the said reaction from the President of Nigeria Football Federation who ordinarily should be at the fore front of supporters of the Rivers United club who are the sole campaigner and flag bearer of Nigeria in the Caf Confederation cup like his other counterparts in other Football Associations in Africa.
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) wrote to the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) via an email dated December 15, 2022.
That email requested the NFF to, between the 23rd and 27th of December 2022, carry out a routine inspection of the football pitch of the Adokiye Amiesimaka Stadium, Port Harcourt (home ground of Rivers United FC) ahead of the group stages of the CAF Confederation Cup.
The correspondence from CAF also requested for an alternate venue to be named by Rivers United FC. This is standard procedure for clubs participating in Inter CAF club competition.
Accordingly, the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium, Uyo was named by Rivers United FC as an alternate venue.
It is important to note at this point that the NFF did not respond to CAF’s email and also did nothing as regards inspecting the Adokiye Amiesimaka Stadium as requested by CAF.
Rivers United was oblivious of all these at the time as CAF only deals with the National Federations (in this case, the NFF, and not the clubs) in such matters.
On January 5, 2023, CAF, as a result of the failure of the NFF to provide any kind of response to its earlier correspondence, wrote again to the NFF stating that Rivers United FC had no venue to play its group stage matches.
Rivers United was consequently ordered to play her matches at the Moshood Abiola Stadium, Abuja.
It was at this point that Mr Nasiru Jibrin the facility officer of the NFF now contacted Rivers United giving the excuse that he too was not informed of the letter even when he was copied by CAF in the original email.
It is customary for CAF to always copy the facility officer of the NFF in such emails.
Jubrin then informed Rivers United FC that he would contact CAF, putting forward excuses which he claimed would allow the African Football Confederation to give a waiver as to gain time to enable him carry out a supplementary inspection of the Adokiye Amiesimaka Stadium thus raising suspicion to CAF on Adokiye Amiesimaka Stadium as expressed by CAF earlier that Rivers United FC has no Stadium ready to play CAF matches.
He then asked Rivers United to take photos of the Stadium and pitch and forward to him as he was, at the time, in Algeria for duties related to the African Football Championships (CHAN).
A few days later, the NFF sent Mr. Aliyu Ibrahim (Ali Cairo) to Port Harcourt and conducted another inspection of the Adokiye Amiesimaka Stadium, and, subsequently, the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium, Uyo.
Rivers United FC facilitated, financially, the logistical arrangements of Mr Aliyu Ibrahim from Abuja to PH, Uyo and back to Abuja.
Rivers United also paid allowances to him for the period he was in Port Harcourt and Uyo.
On further enquiry, we were very reliably informed that Mr Ali sent the photos he took at the Adokiye Amiesimaka Stadium, Port Harcourt to Jibrin who wrote a damning report of the facility in Port Harcourt.
CAF based on the delay, suspiciously and duly acted on Jubrin’s report and Rivers United was then ordered to play its Group Stage games of the 2022-23 CAF Confederation Cup at the alternate venue earlier picked – the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium, Uyo.
Nigerians can see through the statement being peddled by the NFF as nothing more than a cover up.
The Nff has since confirmed that they received the letters from CAF and didn’t act promptly and as at when due because of a Christmas break.
How could a letter written by CAF and received by the Nff on 15th of December 2022 for an inspection to be carried out between the 23rd and 27th of December 2022 be affected by Christmas break if any?
Is the Nff telling Nigerians that CAF is unreasonable in sending the demand at that time?
Was Nasiru Jubrin not in Algeria at that time for CAF duties?
Was he not affected by the so-called Christmas break?
The fact still remains that there are no holidays in football anywhere in the world and especially more so with regard to the handling of crucial, sensitive time bound correspondence related to a club representing a country in the CAF Confederation Cup.
Football activities are carried out during public holidays etc.
We thought that the NFF would have been bold to accept its fault and culpability which can be traced to a shocking display of negligence and an ineffective Secretariat as has been noted and well documented in recent times.
Nigerians have still not forgotten how the country’s qualification for the 2018 FIFA World Cup was almost bungled when the NFF Secretariat was oblivious, despite being officially informed by FIFA through an email, that Super Eagles player, Shehu Abdullahi had collected two Yellow cards and was therefore ineligible to play in a World cup qualifying match against Algeria in Constantine on November 10, 2017.
How can the NFF President pass judgment on the Adokiye Amiesimaka Stadium and brand the playing surface (pitch) as not fit for this purpose when he hasn’t visited the facility for several years.
It is imperative to point out at this stage that Rivers United prosecuted its preliminary stage matches (three matches in the CAF Champions League and Confederation Cup) this season satisfactorily at the Adokiye Amiesimaka Stadium and there were no complaints from officials of CAF who were present in Port Harcourt.
The Adokiye Amiesimaka stadium has also hosted several international matches involving the Super Eagles and the Olympic teams in the past with distinction.
The situation we presently find ourselves would have been avoided if the NFF was dutiful and on hand to perform its statutory functions.
On support of Rivers United by the NFF, it is unfortunate and regrettable that Rivers United, as the country’s sole survivor in the 2022-23 inter-CAF club competition, has not received any form of support from the NFF in its quest to give Nigeria creditable representation.
One would have thought that the NFF would have followed Rivers United closely and ensured its progress to the next level of the competition as Nigerian clubs are seating precariously at the borderline of club ranking and may slump and have only two representatives in future at the interclub competitions as against the present four slots he inherited.
Shouldn’t this be a pointer for the NFF to relocate a part of its offices to Port Harcourt?
How can Rivers United cope with a double financial outlay to play its matches in Uyo in this austere period?.
Rivers United, like other clubs, are more comfortable to play in their home soil than in the ‘diaspora’ ?
We will request the Hon. Minister of Sports to launch a full scale fact finding panel to ascertain the truth behind the statement from the NFF.
Today it is Rivers United and tomorrow it may be the turn of another club to find itself holding the ‘short end of the stick’.
These are basically one major reason why our clubs don’t do well in interclub competition.
We have not seen any financial, technical and logistical support from the NFF in the course of our participation in this competition other than the administrative staff that is sent to us where we undertake to carry out all the financial burdens.
We are not unaware that speaking up this way, for truth and justice will anger the NFF and will very likely lead to a witch-hunting exercise targeted at the club but as true Rivers men and women, we are ready!
We are also not unaware that many clubs who have been meted by such acts of ineptitude by the NFF are usually afraid of victimization.
We, as Rivers men and women are not second class citizens.
It’s likened to a scenario of “cutting ones’ nose to spite his face”.
Let Nigeria bear us witness.
Charles Mayuku
Media Officer
Rivers United FC .
