CONFEDERATION CUP
The second leg fixture of the CAF Confederation Cup between Nigeria’s two clubs, Rivers United and Enyimba FC has taken a new dimension as the Aba team have petitioned the continental body of plans by the hosts to use thugs to intimidate them today in Port Harcourt.
Already, following the tension generated by the petition, CAF has already classified the Match as a “high risk” one.
Enyimba won the first leg in Aba 1-0 a week ago with the overall winners advancing to the money-spinning group stage of the Confederation Cup.
Rivers State government promised United N20million to win that first leg in Aba. But with the winners take all at stake this afternoon, both teams are throwing everything into the battle.
However, Chairman of the Rivers Football Association, Christopher Green described the allegations as “blackmail against Nigeria football”.
“To me, it’s uncalled for and it’s regrettable because I didn’t expect that Felix Ayansi Agwu, an executive member of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) will write against a fellow Nigerian team. It is sad commentary of our game and he has actually done a disservice to Nigerian football,” he said.
“As the Chairman of the Rivers State Football Association, it is my responsibility to ensure that the game goes hitch free. And that is what I am going to ensure. I represent the Nigeria Football Federation and I represent CAF in that match. And so it’s going to be a level playing ground for everybody to come and play.
“And at the same time, I am disappointed that a man in the in the status of Felix Ayansi Agwu and with his years of experience in football will cry wolf where there is none.
“He cannot make a veil statement without anything supporting his claim of that kind of thing and it’s so unfortunate and it’s also equally sad that he will reduce our football to this level.”
He continued: “We thought that we have risen to a point where we actually promote our football, market our football than to de-market our football because what he is doing is de-marketing our football.
“He has also forgotten that he has now turned this match to a high risk match, for which we are not going to leave any stone unturned in making sure that the match is played under very congenital atmosphere.
“Football is a game of friendship and amity. I wonder what Enyimba would gain by heightening tension in a football match of brothers. This is the reason why we have said that it is quite unethical for a person to be head of a club and a member of the Executive Committee of the NFF. We expect good example,” concludes the outspoken Rivers FA Chairman.
