April 02, (THEWILL) – The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), has condemned a slew of inaccurate claims in the media about the events surrounding the post-match incidents at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium in Abuja, following Tuesday’s FIFA World Cup playoff match between Nigeria and Ghana.
Dr Mohammed Sanusi, the NFF’s General Secretary, stated the facts on Friday when he said: “We are alarmed at the influx of incorrect reports, otherwise known as fake news, mostly in the social media. There is no truth to the reports that the Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja has been banned for any length of time by FIFA.
“It is a concoction by some persons with fertile imagination. The NFF has not received any such communication from either FIFA or CAF.
“There has also been an outlandish report that the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) equipment that was installed for the match had been stolen. We initially thought this was an April Fool prank, but it is alarming that some media outlets are taking it serious. Nothing of such happened.
“The VAR equipment remains intact and has been returned to the FIFA office in Zurich, Switzerland by Sebastian Runge, FIFA’s Head of Technology”, Sanusi explained.
“The NFF understands that Nigerians in their generality were sorely disappointed by the result of the match, which came short of having the Super Eagles at the World Cup. It is a painful situation for everyone, including ourselves at the Federation.
“However, we are appealing that the propensity for half truths and outright falsehood be discouraged. We believe that the present squad of Super Eagles is still capable of achieving great things.”
THEWILL recalls that there was also a barrage of false claims surrounding the death of CAF’s anti-doping medical doctor Joseph Kabungo, who was performing his official duties when he slumped and died from what was identified as cardiac arrest.
Some initial reports had claimed that the Zambian doctor was caught in the stampede and died from the blows he suffered in the melee. All these claims were laid to rest when the facts emerged of the doctor’s cardiac arrest, a conclusion confirmed by the Zambian government as well.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
