“We left nothing to chance”
“We left nothing to chance”
The football federation has taken responsibility for the sad outcome of Tuesday night
The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) have apologised to the President of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari, and Nigerian fans for the unfavourable outcome of their World Cup qualifier against Ghana.
Last week, Nigeria played out a 0-0 draw against the Black Stars at the Baba Yara Stadium in Kumasi. And they needed any sort of victory in the second leg in Abuja to secure a Qatar 2022 berth.
However, the Super Eagles were denied the World Cup ticket after a 1-1 draw with Ghana at the Moshood Abiola Stadium ensured that the Black Stars qualified on away goals rule.
The pill was indeed a bitter one to swallow for Nigerian football fans, as some shared their disdain with the result. The government helped ensure that the Stadium was packed by declaring a half workday to enable fans to reach the stadium in time, but they were disappointed.
The Amaju Pinnick-led NFF has come out to apologise to Nigerians and the Government for the unfortunate outcome despite their assistance.
The statement issued by NFF General Secretary Dr Mohammed Sanusi read: “There was nothing the team needed that was lacking. The Government provided necessary support; the NFF put all logistics in place with the active support of the Sports Ministry, and; Nigerians turned out en masse to support the team. The truth is that we left nothing to chance. It is sad that things turned out the way they did.
“Sport is about winning and losing. Nobody wants to lose, but sometimes it happens that way. We are quite sad that despite playing a draw in Kumasi, the Super Eagles could not win here in Abuja. We apologise unreservedly to the Government and people of Nigeria for this non-qualification.”