Enyimba of Aba goalkeeper, Theophilus Afelokhai has admitted he is happy with the decision of Nigeria’s League Management Company (LMC) to select his team as one of the country’s two representatives in the CAF Champions League and declared that they are ready for the task ahead, megasportsarena.com reports.
Although the verdict announced by the LMC last week has been hit with a protest by Rivers United of Port Harcourt, which had initially appeared to have picked the spot behind Plateau United of Jos as runners-up in the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL), Afelokhai says Enyimba deserved to get the nod based on their pedigree in the competition.
The home-based Eagles’ shot-stopper acknowledged during Mega Sports on Star 101.5 FM, Lagos that Rivers United are equally up to task of making Nigeria proud in the money-spinning elite clubs’ competition but pointed out that it is the choice of the LMC to place Enyimba as runners-up of the NPFL’s truncated season.
LMC explained that The Peoples’ Elephant got the spot by virtue of their placement after both PPG and WPPG formats were applied in calculating the final league table, after the season had to be called off on account of the coronavirus pandemic, but Afelokhai refused to speak on controversy that is now trailing that verdict.
Rather than raise an opinion about the LMC’s reasons and Rivers United’s protestations, he simply stressed that Enyimba have a good record in the high-profile continental contest and all their players are ready to give their very best in order to justify their selection.
The official NPFL table released by the LMC showed Enyimba are second with 1.80 points, same as Rivers United, but the league body then gave the elite spot to Afelokhai’s Aba-based club and left The Garden City side third on the log, which means they will have to make do with playing in the CAF Confederation Cup alongside Kano Pillars
The LMC further revealed that Enyimba scored more goals 30 than Rivers United, who netted 28, and though The Peoples’ Elephant let in more goals 20 goals to their Port Harcourt-based rivals’ 15 goals, WPPG placed Afelokhai side ahead of them on 68.49 to their opponents’ 68.23.
In reaction to the development, Rivers United issued a strongly worded media statement to reject the tabulations and went ahead to hold a press conference in which they declared that they will take their case to world football governing body, FIFA and Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS); but Afelokhai says all he can say for now is that he is happy for Enyimba getting the nod from the LMC to participate in CAF’s next top clubs’ championship.
Afelokhai submitted: “It is good for Enyimba and I am happy about it. It is something Enyimba deserve because they have been in the competition before. Of all Nigeria’s clubs Enyimba have the best record in the Champions League so they deserve to be there.
“It’s very good news to we Enyimba players because most of us there are there because of Champions league and playing continental football and thank God it happened that they named us as the second team on the table to represent Nigeria. I will not say Enyimba are favoured to get it this time but it’s the LMC have decided to give them. It’s good news to us.
“I can understand if Rivers United also want to be there but I know Enyimba also want to be there. All their players want to be there but they can also be in the other competition. For me there is nothing to complain about but I know Enyimba have the experience to play in this CAF competition because they have won it before.”
