SHAME: NFF top shots fight in
Abu Dhabi on november 10, 2013 at 12:40
am in sports Despite the triumph of the
Golden Eaglets Friday in Abu
Dhabi it was a show of shame
and national disgrace as NFF
General secretary Barrister
Musa and the Federations First Vice President Chief Mike
Umeh exchanged blows in
public, right inside the
stadium. Eye witness account has it that
problem started brewing early
evening when Chief Umeh
wondered why members of the
League Management
Committee were allocated “ better cars” than NFF
chieftains. He then and there told a
colleague that Musa was
incompetent and not fit to
handle NFF matters. On getting to the stadium,
Chief Umeh was given a
Category 1 ticket and again he
complained insisting that every
country was given 20 VIP
tickets and wondered why he could not have one as NFF Vice
President. At the stadium Chief Umeh
boiled over when he saw
members of the LMC in the VIP
Box and challenged the GS who
said he knew nothing about it
“Oga two of us are seating here, I don’t know anything
about tickets besides I just
arrived yesterday “ the General
Secretary replied. He was shocked when Chief
Umeh said “you are a useless
man . I have to trek five
minutes to ease myself in a
competition that belongs to
us?” That really got Barrister
Ahmadu angry and he told him
to withdraw the statement.
Instead Chief Umeh repeated it
and the General Secretary said
he was a “ hopeless man”. As they were sitting together they
rose to their feet and went for
each other’s jugular saying a
lot of unprintable things. The intervention of some board
members including Chief
Inyama and some Management
staff did little to assuage them. It took some time to get Musa
to leave the seat for another
one. A board member has called for
a probe of the incidence when
they get back home. “It was shameful to say the
least. Chief Umeh did not
behave maturely but there is
need to find out where all our
VIP tickets went to,” he said. Meanwhile, it was gathered
that the NFF is spoiling for a
war with the National Sports
Commission, NSC over its
penchant for sidelining it
whenever football matters get to the presidency. An inside NFF source said the
federation members were not
happy when the NSC failed to
provide seat for them during
the reception for the Super
Eagles after they won the Africa Nations Cup in South
Africa. “The NFF is not ready to be
pushed aside when the
President hosts the Eaglets in
Abuja. This ceremony is an NFF
ceremony, so the NSC should
not push the NFF aside. In fact theNFF president, Alhaji Aminu
Maigari has done well and
should be commended. He even
deserves a national honour,”
the source stressed. President Goodluck Jonathan is
expected to host the victorious
Golden Eaglets today in Aso
Rock to show the country’s
appreciation for their feat at
the U-17 World Cup which has brought honour to the country,
his Media aide, Dr. Rueben
Abati disclosed shortly after
the team won the trophy
Friday.
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