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Everton manager David Moyes has hit back at suggestions that his remarks about Yakubu Aiyegbeni being "a Nigerian 25" were racist.
Everton manager David Moyes has hit back at suggestions that his remarks about Yakubu Aiyegbeni being "a Nigerian 25" were racist.
Moyes' comments after Yakubu scored a hat-trick in The Toffees' 6-1 Uefa Cup victory over SK Brann on Thursday drew an angry response from Nigeria.
The Scottish boss took great offence at this accusation and insisted his comment was meant tongue-in-cheek.
"Never in my life have I ever been accused of being racist and the suggestion is abhorrent to me," Moyes told The People.
"What I said was a light-hearted quip after Yakubu had scored a memorable hat-trick. It did nothing to offend or upset the player."
This is likely to cut little ice with Nigerian officials who are upset with regular jibes that their players are older than their given age.
"His statement is insulting to the Nigerian nation and unbecoming of a Premier League manager," fumed Nigerian FA spokesman Demola Olajire last night.
"We don't take kindly to snide remarks about our players, or our nation, and we will be lodging a strongly worded complaint to the English FA to sanction him."
Moyes' original comment was the following: "What people don't appreciate is that he's only 25, albeit a Nigerian 25, and so if that is his age he's still got a good few years ahead of him."