Round-up Nigeria: Thursday, March 21, 2013 – Treatment of Kenyan football contingent condemnable
The treatment given to the Kenyan football contingent that arrived Nigeria during the week ahead of the Saturday clash between the two countries’ national teams, is condemnable.
From past records, Nigeria is not known to be hostile to other teams that come into the country for matches, even though same cannot be said of many African countries. This is why all well meaning football-following Nigerians should condemn the act.
According to the reports, the hotel given to the team was sub-standard, just as facilities were nothing to write home about.
If this is a deliberate tactic by NFA, it is very shameful. But on a more critical reflection, one may agree that this was more of inefficiency by appropriate NFA officers responsible for taking care of guest-teams coming into the country, than a deliberate tactic to make the Kenyans stay in Nigeria unpalatable. Apart from the ‘past records’ argument, one can also argue that this match not being a win-or-die to the Eagles (there are still matches ahead), there is hardly anything to make NFA go for broke.
Whatever be the case, the Kenyans don’t deserve the treatment. The honourable thing for NFA to do is to apologize. Football is meant to entertain, sportsmanship should be the rule of the game.
