CAF CL Slot: Rivers State Commissioner Of Sports Vows To Expose Pinnick, Dikko
By Amaechi Agbo
Much is yet to be heard on the burning disagreement between the Nigeria Football Federation, NFF and Rivers United Football Club over the replacement of the Port Harcourt based club with Enyimba FC of Abah in the 2020/2021 CAF Champions League slot with the Commissioner of youth and sports in the state, Honourable Boma Iyaye vowing to expose corruption activities under the Pinnick-led NFF, Bestcheociesports.com.ng can report
The commissioner who made the statement in a one minute thirty-seven seconds audio that has gone viral on social media, accused Pinnick of taking Nigeria football 50 years back and called on the Minister of youth and sports, Sunday Dare to intervene in the imbroglio.
The commissioner alleged that the NFF President traveled to Abia State on August 21, 2020 only to release a white paper on the 2019/2020 Nigeria Professional Football League, NPFL final table in which Rivers United was placed 3rd while Enyimba was placed second.
Both clubs ended the aborted season on equal points but Rivers United had superior goal difference against Enyimba. However, in the Point Per Game, PGG system that was adopted to end the league, Enyimba was placed above Rivers United.
NFF had argued that it applied the head-to-head rule in arriving at its decision but the Port Harcourt based club are insisting on the application of goal difference.
In the head-to-head result, Enyimba defeated Rivers United 2-1 in their first leg match in the league but the return match was not played as the NFF cancelled the league following the outbreak of the ravaging COVID-19 pandemic in March.
In the audio, the commissioner for youth and sports in Rivers state questioned why Pinnick and Shehu Dikko (NFF 2nd Vice President) visited Abia state on the 21st only to release a white paper of the final table of the league on Monday, August 24 and vowed that unless Pinnick explains what happened during the visit, he will expose everything Pinnik has been doing as NFF boss
“On the side, I need to also introduce another angle to what have transpired in the past few weeks or months. I am using the opportunity to plead with the federal minister of sports to wade into the matter. Amaju, that is the President of Nigeria Football Federation and his co-travelers, especially Shehu Dikko, the Chairman of the League Management Committee (Company) have taken Nigeria football 50 years behind.
“And I am saying this with all evidence within my purvey that if these two persons and their co-travelers in the Nigeria football federation is (are) not called to order, Nigeria football will continue to dwindle even worse than the situation that we have found ourselves.
“How can you have a matter before you as the president of NFF, Amaju Pinnick my friend, will visit Abia State on the 21st of August, last week Friday and you come on Monday to release white paper to say this is the decision of the NFF? What has happened? How did water entre the melon? He should tell us. If he does not tell us, we will expose everything he has been doing in Nigeria football.
“We are not going to rest on this matter until Rivers United and the people of Rivers state get justice. Thank you, God bless,” he concluded.
