The Nigeria Football Supporters Club (NFSC) has alerted the general public about clandestine moves by the President of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Amaju Pinnick and some discredited members of the club to register another body known as Nigeria Football Federation Supporters Club.
The NFSC disclosed that the move was part of a grand plan by Pinnick to re-install the impeached acting national chairman of the club, Vincent Okumagba, who was removed from office last July for gross indiscipline, abuse of office and anti-club activities.
The Secretary-General of the NFSC, Rev. Sam Ikpea, who spoke with THE CITIZEN from Brazil, described Pinnick’s plan as self-serving which would ultimately destroy Nigeria’s football.
Rev. Ikpea, who was in Brazil with the Supporters Club that cheered the Dream Team to a bronze medal finish at the Rio Olympics, questioned the motives of the NFF President to form a parallel club.
“One may ask, what is wrong with the current Nigeria Football Supporters Club? A club that was founded since 1955, a club that has since become an integral part of our football development, a club that has become a role model for other countries of the world, has won certificates of recognition as the best Supporters club both by FIFA and CAF. A club that Queen Elizabeth of England invited to the Wembley Stadium for the Super Eagles friendly with England in 1994 for glamour and entertainment to the game, a club that has become the 12th player in Nigerians teams”, Ikpea quipped.
Ikpea disclosed that those behind the moves to register a parallel body, led by impeached former acting national chairman of the club, Vincent Okumagba, are presently under investigation by the Brazilian Embassy and Interpol, Alagbon Close, for presenting fake documents to the embassy and as such are out to dupe unsuspecting Nigerian public.
The Secretary-General recalled that since the present board of the Nigeria Football Federation, led by its president, Amaju Pinnick, was elected into office in September 2014, football in Nigeria has steadily declined due to gross incompetence of the board.
“For the first time ever, our country failed to qualify for Africa Cup of Nations in two successive times in 2015 and 2017 and the U-20 and U-17 teams failed to qualify for age-grade tournaments and the Super Eagles have continued to fall on FIFA ranking; from 37 in 2014 to 67 in August 2016”.
“So Pinnick cannot bring disunity amongst members of our club, but he should rather focus on ensuring that Nigeria qualifies for Russia 2018 World Cup because Nigerians will not forgive him if the Super Eagles fails to be in Moscow”,
“It is a demonstration of gross incompetence if an NFF that cannot raise money to fund its programs, that has denied Nigerians what gives them joy as Nigeria will not be at AFCON 2017, U-17 and U-20 tournaments still wants to register a parallel supporters club. We are watching and Nigerians are watching too”, Ikpea added.
Meanwhile, an EU country embassy official who spoke with THE CITIZEN in Abuja confirmed that the diplomatic community has been informed of the move by some people to register a parallel supporters club.
The source said that embassies as a matter of principle would continue to deal with the NFSC as the legal body of Nigerian football supporters.
