Football
The Nigeria
Football Federation on Monday called on all members of the country’s football
family including stakeholders to pray hard in view of recent deaths and
kidnappings of football players which have caused serious concern in the
polity.
President of the
Federation, Mr. Amaju Melvin Pinnick said the deaths of three footballers in a
horrendous auto crash along Benin-Agbor Road on Sunday, among them Rangers
International FC star forward Ifeanyi George, and the kidnappings of Enyimba
FC’s Dayo Ojo and Abia Comets’ Benjamin Iluyomade in Ondo State some hours
later were huge causes for concern in Nigeria’s football firmament.
“These sorrowful
incidents are becoming too much for us to bear. We must seek spiritual solace
and seek help from Almighty God. I am short of words following these deaths and
kidnappings. We must all get involved in prayers to Him to stop the tap of
grief and sorrow in our football sector.
“I am
heartbroken. Not long ago, we lost Tiamiyu Kazeem of Remo Stars Football Club
and Chineme Martins of Nasarawa United in different circumstances. We need to
call on God to show us mercy and stop these unfortunate happenings.”
George, a former
Home-based Eagles star who featured for Nigeria at the 5th African Nations
Championship in Morocco early in 2018, died in a car crash alongside Emmanuel
Ogbu, a player of Rangers International Feeder team and Eteka Gabriel, also a
football player. All were in a car that ran under a stationary trailer on the
Benin-Agbor Road.
Some hours later,
in Ondo State, Enyimba FC of Aba’s Dayo Ojo and Abia Comets’ player Benjamin
Iluyomade were reported kidnapped in the Owo area of Ondo State.
“We also
earnestly appeal to the kidnappers of Dayo and Benjamin to release them unhurt
to their families. We are going through too much at the same time, with the
coronavirus pandemic also around. We need serious prayers from everyone in the
football family,” Pinnick added.
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