NationalMirror Attack on Super Eagles by Ethiopian fans by Our Reporter on Oct 31, 2013 | Posted under: Editorial The problem of soccer fanaticism in Africa once again reared its ugly head on October 13, 2013, during the first leg of the final playoff of the qualifier for the Brazil 2014 World Cup between Nigeria and Ethiopia in Addis Ababa, the Ethiopian capital. The Walya Antelopes, as the Ethiopian senior national football team is known, had lost the keenly contested match to their Nigerian counterparts, the Super Eagles, by two goals to one. Out of desperation, perhaps exacerbated by their unfulfilled dream of beating Nigeria, the current African champion, Ethiopian fans launched a vicious attack on the Nigerian contingent after they had boarded a bus to depart from the venue of the match. Missiles were hurled at the Nigerian players. The windscreen of the bus was reportedly shattered, while a splinter hit and injured Nosa Igiebor, one of our players. That was the climax of the tale of woe brought back by the Nigerian side led by the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) President, Aminu Maigari. Earlier on the arrival of the players in Addis Ababa for the tie, the hosts had allegedly assigned a ‘cockroach invested’ bus to convey them to their hotel. The driver of the bus was said to have deliberately taken a very rigorous, traffic-jammed route, apparently with the aim of wearing out the Super Eagles ahead of the clash. And during the match itself, some Ethiopians fans were seen hurling empty water bottles at the Nigerian players the moment the central referee discountenanced what the fans perceived as ‘a goal’ following a last second clearance of the goal-bound shot by defender Godfrey Oboabona. There was thus the tell-tale sign that Ethiopian fans were determined to go wild even before their team bowed to the Super Eagles. The NFF boss, Maigari, said complaint on the attack had been lodged with global soccer regulating body, the Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA). But the sad side of the story, nevertheless, is the fact that the Ethiopian Football Federation (EFF) not only refused to tender any apology in respect of the unruly conduct, it had denied the unruly act. The attack was ill-conceived, especially in the context of sportsmanship and the rules of the game. The Ethiopians were not wary of the fact that the match in Addis Ababa was only the first leg, and that they would be coming to Calabar, the Cross River State capital, for the second leg. Besides, Ethiopia had already incurred FIFA’s wrath by fielding an ineligible player in the earlier round of the same qualifier, which forced FIFA to deduct three points from the country’s haul. This should have made the cruel fans to be sober and cautious, and not being seen to be courting yet another sanction that could fetch them outright disqualification from the World Cup campaigns. The Addis Ababa soccer brigandage is a reminder of a similar tragedy in Dakar, Senegal, which occurred exactly one year (October 13, 2012) before the latest misadventure, when the Elephants of Cote d’ Ivoire were attacked by Senegalese fans during the Africa Cup of Nations match. Senegal was losing O-2 at home, a result which would have eliminated the team. In the midst of the heat and anxiety, Senegalese fans attacked their visitors, and Ivorian fans and players had to be escorted out by the police, who fired tear gas to keep the attackers at bay. The practice of subjecting visiting soccer teams to harrowing experiences by their hosts seems to be acquiring notoriety in Africa, despite how refined the game of soccer has become worldwide. FIFA, as an organisation that preaches and promotes fair play, must not rest on its oars until it stamps out all vestiges of hooliganism from the game of football. There cannot be anything like fair play when visiting teams are subjected to real or psychological assaults by their ungracious hosts. We fervently believe that football or sports in general and hooliganism should not cohabit. We therefore, implore FIFA to take drastic steps to avert a recurrence of incidents like the Addis Ababa shame. Indeed, Nigerians are anxiously awaiting its verdict on this horrendous development. For their part, Nigerian fans are not reputed for assaulting or maltreating visiting football teams. Nonetheless, the NFF should take proactive steps to forestall any move for reprisal, for two wrongs cannot make a right. Overzealous Nigerian fans should be kept in strict check during the second leg in Calabar. Indeed, Nigerians should prove a positive point on the virtues of hospitality before Ethiopians during the second leg.
Posted on: Thu, 31 Oct 2013 09:27:18 +0000
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