NFA to drag Obafemi to
FIFA
By Ben Memuletiwon
Friday,
February 9, 2007
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•Martins
Obafemi
Photo:
Sun News Publishing
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Newcastle soccer prodigy, Martins Obafemi may be the guinea
pig who the Nigeria Football Association (NFA) would use to instill discipline
in the Super Eagles.
Miffed by the player’s hide-and-seek game during
the Nigeria/Ghana international friendly in London, the Glass House has written
to the club complaining that Obafemi did not report for the match after the club
claimed that he was duely released.
“That’s gross indiscipline
and we must stop such behaviour henceforth,” NFA secretary general, Bolaji
Ojo-oba, said. “We have a letter from his club that he was released but
we did not see him, neither did he inform the coach of his mission. We’re
going to use his case as a test case for other players.
“We are
not begging anybody to play for Nigeria but you can’t hold the nation to
ransome. It was Mikel Obi’s case that we chased to FIFA, not knowing that
Obafemi was up with some dubious tricks too. We are going to write his club about
this behaviour and send a copy to him to explain why the NFA will not sanction
him.”
Obafemi was reported to have come to Lagos to attend to his
sick mother but the scribe argued that courtesy demands that he informs his coach
if he was really indisposed.
“We are not out to witch-hunt any player
but Obafemi should have informed the coach about his mother’s illness. His
failure is seen as gross disrespect for the Nigeria Football Association.”
Ojo-Oba
disclosed that Obafemi would be given seven days within which to respond to the
FA letter, stressing that the FA disciplinary committee would look into his reply
critically. Should the committee not be satisfied with his reply, the FA will
not hesitate in dragging him to FIFA, at least to serve as deterrent to other
players.”
Obafemi had refused to feature in a critical World Cup
match against Angola in Kano two years ago as he stayed back in Lagos even when
he was released by Inter Milan. Nigeria was held to a 1–1 draw by Angola
and many Nigerians argued that Obafemi would have made the difference. That draw
cost Nigeria the Germany 2006 World Cup ticket.
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