Sports Entrepreneur and former Gombe United Football Club Chairman, Hon. Ahmed Shuaibu Gara-Gombe swiftly took time to educate football stakeholders that are demanding an apology over his comments on the implications based on CAF rules on the botched Libya versus Super Eagles 2nd leg AFCON qualifier match in Benghazi.
In a no holdsbare Press statement made available to Journalists, He expressed regret at the level ingnorance Nigeria’s football authorities had exhibited following Nigeria and Libyan National Teams debacle.
In the statement, he said, “My attention has been drawn to a report which I confirmed that some hydra-headed stakeholders were critizing me based on my comments concerning the Super Eagles and Libya National Teams.
Some are even calling for my head, saying I should apologise.
“Firstly, let me categorically say here that I owe no one an apology because I have done nothing wrong.
“Those to apologise are people who brought disgrace to Nigerian sports, those who have stollen Nigeria’s resources in sports.”
Continuing, he said, “There are people who have stollen everything there and are representing us in FIFA, they are the ones that supposed to apologise.
“Someone was also given N24 billion in less than one year for the AFCON, and Olympic Games and it was squandered without a medal. Did anyone ask him to apologise?
“And you are asking me to apologise for exercising my foundamental human rights, for expressing my personal opinion? I’m not going to do that.”
The chairman of Gombe State Athletics Association, said further, “I will still repeat that it is senseless for Eagles to return to Nigeria without playing the match in Libya.”
According to him, “Libya is not at war, football games are not played at the Airport, they are played at the stadium, irrespective of the experience Super Eagles faced at the airport, they would have waited to hear from CAF and the representative of CAF.
“I heard someone saying, “How could they communicate to CAF when they are locked in at the Airport”
“If they were locked in at the airport, was phone signals also locked out at the airport?
Did the match commissioner also tell Nigeria he was locked in too? Two weeks before Nigeria vs Libya match, the match officials and the match commissioner are known. The day you set out to play a match of that nature the authority resides with the organisers (CAF).
“The question I ask the Super Eagles, when they decided to return to Nigeria, did they get in touch with the match commissioner? If they were in touch with him, did he tell them the match is postponed, they can return to Nigeria?
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If they were unable to get in touch with him, why?
Gara-Gombe queried, “How could they have traveled to a match destination, they didn’t have the numbers of CAF match officials?
“If they say they were locked in and no communication, how were they able to communicate to Nigerians via WhatsApp, Facebook etc, informations that came out from Libya?
“In as much as I am not defending the Libyan actions, what I’m saying is that the Libyans overreacted in their own response.
“Something may have triggered the Libyans to retaliate, although, they have a history of being hostile to visiting teams.
“What am saying is that there’s no smoke without fire. I’m very surprised that those making comments on this matter including NFF officials are ignorant of CAF rules.”
“If you take the rules quiding the civil aviation on international flight, the rules say that any international flight coming to Nigeria must land at international airport of host county before going to a local destination.
“This incident happened to a Moroccan team which I personally handled.
They came, on their way to Uyo, to participate in CAF organised competition two years ago,
“They had a chartered flight with a choice to either land in Lagos or Port Harcourt.
Because the designated airport in Uyo don’t have facilities to process some documents through customs and immigration, so they landed in Port Harcourt first, they have to obey that.
“A concession was given for them to fly to Port Harcourt and later Uyo as plans have been made for customs to do the normal routine checks of stamping passports etc.
“So when the Libyans came because our football authorities are ignorant in handling these issues, the Libyans felt they were treated badly for not being allowed to land in Uyo.
“If they were properly informed, it’s a different thing, but who is to inform them if not the same NFF who are to receive them, but because the Libyans don’t know, they felt it was a deliberate attempt by the NFF to frustrate them, so they also looked for a way to retaliate.
“That was why they also diverted by preventing Super Eagles plane from landing in Benghazi International Airport as retaliatory measure.”
