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NFF warn Sharks

NFF warn Sharks

Posted: 2009-07-23 23:05

The Nigeria Football Federation have issued a thinly disguised threat to Sharks, as the Port Harcourt club continue to press their claims for a place in the CAF Confederation Cup.

Warri Wolves, who finished fourth in the League, were awarded the ticket at the expense of Federation Cup finalists Sharks, and the Garden City club are refusing to roll over.
 
Sharks and the Rivers State Football Association have argued, citing CAF Regulations and precedent that they should have been rightfully awarded the slot, but NFF Secretary General Bolaji Ojo-Oba disagrees and issued a subtle threat in the process
 
"We are surprised at the attitude of the Rivers State Football Association and their agents, who have been employing inelegant language in their correspondence with the Nigeria Football Federation. The football world has order and structure; it is not an animal kingdom.
 
"While the fellows have been arguing that the CAF Confederation Cup regulation did not expressly make mention of a fourth–placed team in the League, they have also failed to show us where the regulation expressly made mention of a second–placed team in the Federation Cup.
 
"Their argument has been desperate and porous, their inferences have been poor and irrelevant, and the instances they have been drawing up do not match. We will not exchange gutter language with them, but they should be very careful at this stage," Ojo-Oba was quoted as saying in a press statement released by the NFF Media Officer Ademola Olajire.
 
Ojo-Oba went on to argue that the decision by the Federation to award the 2010 CAF Confederation Cup second slot to Warri Wolves FC was in the best interest of the nation.
 
"If we didn’t pick the Cup winner, Enyimba FC, we would have had only one slot for the CAF Confederation Cup, meaning that we would have on our own forfeited one slot as a result of not entering the Cup winner.
 
"CAF made it clear that the Cup winner must have a slot in the Confederation Cup, and failing which any country which hitherto had two slots would only be able to register one team. What we have done is in the best interest of the nation and we have explained the position to all reasonable stakeholders."

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Steve o: 2009-07-23 23:36

Pls stop playing politics with Nigeria football.

lawman: 2009-07-23 23:40

i totally disagree wiv u Mr OJO OBA or what eva ur name is.The decision is not for the interest of nigerians but for the interest of ur good for nothing,stupid and incapable FA members.i stil cant belive that these old fools are allowed to ruin our football management b4 it was large amount of money stolen form the NFF office and nobody talks bout it anymore.if these old idiots are allowed to stil run our football management bet me one day a league winner will not b guranteed caf football but will b placed on ebay whereby the highest bidder takes the ticket

maark: 2009-07-24 00:34

nff made the decision at the wrong time. Even if the decision was right but it came at the wrong time.

muhammed: 2009-07-24 01:29

mr Ojo Oba according to your statement released by Nff media officer you said the decision is the best Nigerians interest how many Nigerians you people discus with?its decision of you people.

ayo: 2009-07-24 01:49

loooooooool at lawman,u really made me laugh about your comment on the NFF auctioning the African tournaments spots in future!You arent far away from reality bro.Imagine some bunch of clowns that stole $200,000 without having the shame and sense to resign from their position enmassse as it is done in most civilised climes.Imagine what Senegalese football officials did after the Teranga Lion's dismal performance at CAN 2008,their Federation officials resigned enmasse,but its only at the Abuja Glasshouse that bussiness continue as usual after a major disaster.Maark,I fully agree with you about the bad timing of the decision.The goalpost shouldn't be altered when the game is on not to talk about when it is over,especially in football.But in Nigeria it seems everything goes.

wale: 2009-07-24 05:32

@ Lawson, i'm appaled by your interpretation of Mr Ojo Oba's ****ysis. if you dont understand, lemme summarise it for you:
1. we are entitled to 2 slots in confederations cup and 2 for champions league.
2. champions league place is filled by 1st and 2nd in the league.(Bayelsa and Heartland). this is clear as crystal.
3. Confederations cup is filled by winner of FA cup and THE MOST DESERVING TEAM AS DETERMNED BY FA. Therefore Enyimba, deservedly (as winners of FA cup). FA runners up is not the most deserving in any way. FA runners up could be an amateur side who will not have a chance pass the group stage of the CAF cup.
If we look at English premiership. there was a time Millwall qualified for FA cup final in 2004. Man utd beat them 3-0, and it was almost exact scenario.
****nal won the league, chelsea 2nd, and man u 3rd, liverpool 4th, Millwall, fa cup runner up. But Millwall never played in europe that year.....i hope this enlightens a little bit.
as for me, MR Ojo-Oba is right this time.
peace

wale: 2009-07-24 05:37

APOLOGIES
with due respect to all forumites, i got the above stats wrong! MIllwall actually DID PLAY IN EUROPE. i think Sharks are right to demand for a place based on this. this issue needs more clarity than i thought.... i keep on doing the research.
peace

danarchy -is- back: 2009-07-24 07:42

NFF SINCE CAF DID NOT SPECIFY RUNNERS UP IN FA CUP NOR 4TH SPOT THEN ARRANGE A PLAY OFF BETWEEN BOTH REAMS IN A NEUTRAL GROUND AND AMEND UR CONSTITUTION TO ACCOMODATE THIS KIND OF MIX UP. THE NOISE ON THIS MATTER IS TAKING A HUGE DISTRACTION FROM OTHER IMPORTANT EVENTS.

ese : 2009-07-24 11:09

why this noise about sharks fc representing nigeria in the confederation cup, personally to settle this issue once, let warri wolves and sharks fc play and the winner represent nigeria.full stop.

DON: 2009-07-24 14:34

Maybe the President should hire football administrative from England to run Nigeria football for us to have direction and to stop all these stealing and missing of money in the office.

joe: 2009-07-24 18:39

The nfa were the ones that made a porous decision when they came up immediately after the match between enyimba and sharks to declare that they had no laid down rule regarding a situation like this, thereby creating a suspicious atmosphere... although any body that understands nigeria politics will understand that they are telling the two teams involved that they will give the slot to the highest bidder... A well managed body would have made everything clear before the final match is played so there would be no room for suspicion, i think the best remedy to this would be for the nfa to write fifa and caf, cause they are affiliated to fifa

Pius P: 2009-07-24 18:47

I quote 'Ojo-Oba went on to argue that the decision by the Federation to award the 2010 CAF Confederation Cup second slot to Warri Wolves FC was in the best interest of the nation'
This testifies that you and your croonies are criminals. The NFF needs to be dissolved immediately. Re-branding nigeria should start from NFF. Dora take note. What a shame!!

frisky2good: 2009-07-24 19:39

In my own opinion, Sharks should be allowed to represent Nigeria. The NFA had no reason to deliberate on who should go. As things stand now, the federations cup did not produce any club to represent Nigeria in continental competitions while the league produced four representatives. Ojo Oba should stop trying to intimidate the management of Sharks FC. Instead, he should prove beyod reasonable doubts that Warri wolves are the rightful representatives. He should also be ready to resign along with all other FA board members if they are proved wrong. As for sharks, they should please pursue this case to a logical conclusion.

Paschal: 2009-07-24 20:42

The CAF Confedretion Cup scenerio involving NFF, WARRI WOLVES and SHARKS is to put it very simple 'an unnecessary destraction'. Since there was no clear-cut rule to accommodate the situation, the natural thing to do was to order a play-off between Sharks and Warri Wolves. The NFF should retrace her steps and bring the two teams back to the field. With this, Ojo Oba's claim of the decision being in the nation's interest will enjoy more sympathy and acceptance IN THE INTEREST OF NIGERIAN FOOTBALL!

Abdulhakeem: 2009-07-25 02:37

Dear mr Ojo-Oba pls,stop taken Nigerians as a fool! This issue needs no arguement at all.Since Enyimba fc has qualified for the CAF confederation cup due to their league position,Sharks fc that came 2nd shld rep Nigeria as d federation cup champs.To U wale,if mr Ojo-Oba is ur relation pls advice him to d right direction & d other guy, millwall did play in euro in 04/05 season. Pls mr Ojo-Oba let Nigerians know d outcome of ur investigation on d missing $200,000 in d glass house or has that issue gone under d carpet ?

Embele: 2009-07-25 10:32

sd it's gotten this far. Cup winner (enyimba) highest league team not in continent (Wolves) Plenty of other countries do it this way. Sharks should move on and concentrate on this season