THE Nigeria Football Federation has declared untrue some claims doing the rounds on the aftermath of the Super Eagles’ elimination from the Qatar 2022 World Cup race.
Following the pitch invasion by irate Abuja fans after the Super Eagles drew 1-1 with Ghana on Tuesday, there have been unsubstantiated reports of a ban on the Moshood Abiola National Stadium and stolen Video Assistant Referee equipment.
However, the NFF has strongly denied these claims, dismissing them as a ‘stream of incorrect reports’.
NFF General Secretary, Dr Mohammed Sanusi, said: “We are alarmed at the influx of incorrect reports, otherwise known as fake news, mostly in the 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 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 serious. 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.”
The NFF secretary then appealed for truthful reporting while projecting a better future for Nigerian football.
He 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.”
The failure to qualify for the World Cup is the first time for Nigeria since 2006.
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