Izuchukwu Okosi
Nigeria’s Africa Football League, AFL campaigners and league champions, Enyimba FC are frustrated by the surreptitious move made by Moroccan authorities to thwart their efforts at advancing past the quarterfinals stage of the inuagural edition of the Africa Football League, reports Prime Business Africa.
The Peoples Elephant were beaten 1-0 by Moroccan giants Wydad Casablanca at their adopted Godswill Akpabio Stadium, Uyo on Saturday but ahead of the return fixture on Wednesday, the Aba Millionaires are stuck in Lagos as at Tuesday morning.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelPrime Business Africa scooped that the team currently (as at press time) at the departure lounge of the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos were expecting to be issued a landing permit to travel to Casablanca.
Enyimba are guaranteed a huge sum of $1m (N1. 2 billion) for the two-legged games had chattered a private plane for the trip to the north African country.
The team whose new Chairman is former Super Eagles captain and Arsenal legend, Nwankwo Kanu, from inside sources are considering lodging a formal complaint to the Confederation of African Football (CAF) on the poor treatment from their Moroccan hosts.
Enyimba put out a statement Tuesday morning, expressing their dismay on the issue.
“The Enyimba FC Contingent didn’t make the trip to Casablanca as earlier scheduled after the Moroccan Authorities failed to issue a landed permit for a chattered aircraft from the Murtala Mohammed International airport.
“As at 00.30AM, the team has returned back to a hotel having spent 6 hours and 30 mins in the Chattered aircraft awaiting landing permit from the Moroccan Authorities for it to take off,” Enyimba stated.
Wydad Casablanca scored their solitary goal via Yahya Jabrane’s penalty in the 39th minute that Super Eagles goalkeeper Olorunleke Ojo could not stop.
Enyimba are two-time African champions in the CAF Champions League having triumphed in the continent’s number one interclub competition in 2003 and 2004 respectively.
Izuchukwu Okosi is a Nigerian sports and entertainment journalist with two decades of experience in the media industry having begun his media journey in 2002 as an intern at Mundial Sports International (MSI) and Africa Independent Television (AIT), owners of Daar Communications Plc.
