The Nigeria Football Federation has reacted to news making the rounds that the world football governing body, FIFA, has slammed an indefinite ban on the Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja.
The NFF in a statement issued Friday also decried reports claiming the theft of the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) equipment used for Tuesday’s FIFA World Cup playoff match between Nigeria and Ghana.
Playing in front of over 60,000 fans; a record at the newly refurbished Abuja edifice, the Super Eagles failed to qualify for the 2022 World Cup billed to be staged in Qatar, which led to fan unrest and violence.
Fans threw objects at Ghanaian supporters and players, who had to battle to the tunnel to leave the pitch.
Police intervened by beating rioters with batons and spraying tear gas, Reuters reported.
Although FIFA is being expected to punish Nigeria for the security violations, the NFF revealed there has been no correspondence yet from world football’s ruling body.
NFF General Secretary Mohammed Sanusi said on Friday: “We are alarmed at the influx of incorrect reports, otherwise known as fake news, mostly in social media.
“There is no truth to the reports that the Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja, has been banned for any length of time by FIFA. It is a concoction by some persons with a fertile imagination. The NFF has not received any such communication from either FIFA or CAF.
“There has also been an outlandish report that the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) equipment that was installed for the match had been stolen. We initially thought this was an April Fool prank, but it is alarming that some media outlets are taking it seriously.
“Nothing of such happened. The VAR equipment remains intact and has been returned to the FIFA office in Zurich, Switzerland by Sebastian Runge, FIFA’s Head of Technology.”
Sanusi added: “The NFF understands that Nigerians in their generality were sorely disappointed by the result of the match, which came short of having the Super Eagles at the World Cup.
“It is a painful situation for everyone, including ourselves at the Federation. However, we are appealing that the propensity for half-truths and outright falsehood be discouraged. We believe that the present squad of Super Eagles is still capable of achieving great things.”
In the same way issues of match-fixing are frowned at by both Confederation of African Football and FIFA, the football governing bodies do not tolerate fans’ violence.
FIFA fined Ghana $10,000 for a pitch invasion incident that happened during the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying match against South Africa.
In 2015, some Tunisia players attacked a referee for awarding a penalty kick to their opponent and CAF subsequently fined Tunisia $50,000 for the detestable behaviour of their players and also requested the federation to apologise.