NFF President, Alhaji Aminu Maigari
Nigeria Football Federation officials have expressed disgust over the desperate antics employed by the Liberia Football Federation (LFA), to win the Nations Cup qualifier against Nigeria, including taking the team to a dilapidated hotel and assigning a weather beaten ‘Molue’, without air-conditioning to the team for its stay in Liberia.
The NFF had immediately relocated the team to the Golden Gate Hotel, ahead of Saturday’s 2-2 draw in Monrovia.
Technical Committee Chairman, Christopher Green, said he was taken aback going by the smooth relationship existing between both nations and their FAs.
NFF President Aminu Maigari, was also petrified that officials of the SKD Stadium refused to switch on the flood lights at the arena, when Nigeria had its only training session there before the game, when the game was to be played under floodlights.
Each occasion the Nigerian used the bus allotted to them like on their way to and from the airport, a visit to the Nigerian embassy and even a short trip from the Golden Gate Hotel where the team camped to the stadium, players and officials sweated profusely, forcing Head Coach, Stephen Keshi to ask the NFF for action in the return leg in Calabar.
The windows of the bus had to be opened each time it was used.
“This is very bad for the development of African football but Nigeria will never treat any nation like this. Am sure in the second leg, we will offer them a beautiful, airconditioned bus to take them around, we’ve always been trodden upon by those countries that we played the big brother to,” Keshi lamented.
Meanwhile, Nigeria’s Ambassador to Liberia, Her Excellency Chigozie Nnadozie, has said she was totally satisfied with the output of the Super Eagles, and she was sure that President Goodluck Jonathan, is also excited at the 2-2 draw in Monrovia.
NFF President, Alhaji Aminu Maigari, also spoke in similar vein, assuring that the Eagles will win the return in Calabar with a wide.
Ambassador Nnadozie, spoke during dinner organized for the Super Eagles in Monrovia, moments before the team departed for Nigeria on Saturday night.
She along with the Liberian President, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, had travelled to Kaduna for the NDA graduation but she returned early enough to catch some moments of the game but said she was delighted with what she saw.
“I’m sure that by the return leg in Calabar, our team will win handsomely and I hope to be there to help cheer the team to victory,” she said.
Maigari thanked the Ambassador for her kind gesture and assured that the team will not rest on its oars to pick a Nations Cup ticket in October.