The chairman of Rivers State Football Association, Barrister Chris Green has accused Enyimba International of Aba of committing ‘blackmail against Nigerian football,’ following the south-east club’s allegation that their hosts are hiring thugs for this weekend’s CAF Confederation Cup second leg fixture in Port Harcourt.
Megasportsarena.com gathered that, heading into Sunday’s game against Rivers United of Port Harcourt in The Garden, The Peoples’ Elephant have petitioned Confederation of African Football (CAF) over an alleged plan by their hosts to disrupt the second leg by using thugs at the match venue.
Enyimba won the first leg in Aba 1-0 a week ago and, with the overall winners advancing to the group stage of the second-tier continental clubs’ competition, Rivers State government has promised its players a huge cash bonus if they to qualify and their football association’s boss has slammed what he called diversionary tactics by their NPFL rivals.
Green stressed: “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.
“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.
“So, it’s going to be a level playing ground for everybody to come and play. 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. 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.”
