Posted by The Vanguard on
Lagos State Government has described as untenable the excuse offered by the Nigeria Football Association (NFA) for the mistake on its web site on the age of Obafemi Martins, the Inter Milan attacker.
Lagos State Government has described as untenable the excuse offered by the Nigeria Football Association (NFA) for the mistake on its web site on the age of Obafemi Martins, the Inter Milan attacker.
Speaking in his office, the State Commissioner for Youth, Sports and Social Development, Mr. Opeyemi Bamidele, asked the Nigeria Football Association to tender an unreserved apology to the nation as a whole, Inter Milan and Obafemi Martins in particular.
Bamidele said at this crucial time of our nationhood, the NFA ought to know that ‘our action and inaction would have implications on the nation as a whole as well as on people's careers'.
He stated that the NFA, through similar actions, has brought the nation's image into disrepute. He added that cases of Ambrose Uanzekin and John Michael Obi, whose names were wrongly spelt as Ambrose Vanzekin and John Mikel Obi respectively, still remain fresh in the nation's memory.
As a result of the difficulties these players are going to encounter in correcting the errors in their names, they have had to live with these mis-spelt names.
On the other hand, the Lagos State Government has called on Obafemi Martins not to make good his threat of refusal to wear our national colours in future. Bamidele reminded Obafemi Martins of his known sense of patriotism to his fatherland whenever he is in the national colours. He appealed to Obafemi to have a rethink on his decision. He noted that the Super Eagles is already at the precipice of not featuring in next year's World Cup final billed for Germany except all hands were on deck. 'His decision not to play for the Eagles again would, without doubt, further compound the nation's chances to be in Germany 2006", he added.
The reported admittance by the Chairman of the NFA, Ibrahim Galadima, that the web site is riddled with errors shows that they have not been fair to those players who have been affected by the discrepancies, praying that God should save Nigeria from herself.