Hostile Malawi fans harass Eagles
Eagles winger Uzoenyi
Malawi no fear for Eagles
Nigeria’s World Cup qualifier against
Malawi begun in earnest Friday evening when some irate fans nearly disrupted
the Eagles late training.
Eagles coach Stephen Keshi had insisted on arrival for his players to have a feel of the Kamuzu Stadium pitch despite the fact that the 2:30pm time scheduled for it had lapsed.
He led the team to the arena at about 5pm Malawi time and 4pm Nigerian time, by which time it was already getting dark in Blantyre.
The coach and his players however braved the odds and trained nearly under the dark, no attempt was made by the stadium officials to switch on the floodlights in the arena. But as if that was not enough, some rough-looking fans stormed the training pitch and attempted to harass Nigerian players but were prevented by team’s security chief Gideon Akinsola; camp commandant, Lt. Col Rabiu Yandoto and team psychologist Robinson Okosun, who momentarily assumed the duty of a security detail for the period that the shouting match lasted.
It was only after the Nigerian officials resisted, that a policeman sauntered into the pitch to ask what the problem was.
The fans kept shouting that it was their country and their stadium and nobody can stop them from entering the training arena, which looked like the FIFA Goal Project site in Abuja. They were however prevailed upon to let the Nigerian train but they went and laid siege for the team to finish training with one of them saying they will with deal with the Nigerians after training.
After just 30 minutes Keshi decided that the team has had enough, because it was becoming very dark and stopped the session that was watched by NFF general secretary Musa Amadu and technical committee chairman Chris Green.
It was then that the stadium officials switched on the floodlights in the stadium, but Keshi resisted taking his wards back because of the long trip the players just went through.
But the fans still laid siege and it took about 10 minutes for a combined team of policemen and some Nigerians resident in Blantyre to convince them to allow the Super Eagles out of the stadium and back into their bus.
When the team got to its Sunbird Hotel abode, Keshi said he expected such mind games and urged the players to be prepared for more of such antics from the fans of The Flames.
“We will do our best to make Nigerians happy at the end of the day,” he vowed.
Eagles coach Stephen Keshi had insisted on arrival for his players to have a feel of the Kamuzu Stadium pitch despite the fact that the 2:30pm time scheduled for it had lapsed.
He led the team to the arena at about 5pm Malawi time and 4pm Nigerian time, by which time it was already getting dark in Blantyre.
The coach and his players however braved the odds and trained nearly under the dark, no attempt was made by the stadium officials to switch on the floodlights in the arena. But as if that was not enough, some rough-looking fans stormed the training pitch and attempted to harass Nigerian players but were prevented by team’s security chief Gideon Akinsola; camp commandant, Lt. Col Rabiu Yandoto and team psychologist Robinson Okosun, who momentarily assumed the duty of a security detail for the period that the shouting match lasted.
It was only after the Nigerian officials resisted, that a policeman sauntered into the pitch to ask what the problem was.
The fans kept shouting that it was their country and their stadium and nobody can stop them from entering the training arena, which looked like the FIFA Goal Project site in Abuja. They were however prevailed upon to let the Nigerian train but they went and laid siege for the team to finish training with one of them saying they will with deal with the Nigerians after training.
After just 30 minutes Keshi decided that the team has had enough, because it was becoming very dark and stopped the session that was watched by NFF general secretary Musa Amadu and technical committee chairman Chris Green.
It was then that the stadium officials switched on the floodlights in the stadium, but Keshi resisted taking his wards back because of the long trip the players just went through.
But the fans still laid siege and it took about 10 minutes for a combined team of policemen and some Nigerians resident in Blantyre to convince them to allow the Super Eagles out of the stadium and back into their bus.
When the team got to its Sunbird Hotel abode, Keshi said he expected such mind games and urged the players to be prepared for more of such antics from the fans of The Flames.
“We will do our best to make Nigerians happy at the end of the day,” he vowed.
May god ponise dem thier father
May God grant the Eagles victory over there.Shame 2 Malawians 4 allowing this disgraceful prank.pls tell them Nigerians will pay them back wit surplus measure.UP EAGLES
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