Nigeria: Agent Scuttles Peru Friendly

Olawale Ajimotokan

10 March 2011

Echoes of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) misery in the hands of match agents played out again Thursday after the federation called off a proposed international friendly with Peru.

Chairman of the NFF’s Technical Committee, Chris Green, said yesterday that the cancellation arose because of the failure of the agent handling the brief to meet with the federation as arranged.

Nigeria was due to meet South American nation, Peru in Malta during the next FIFA window on March 29.

The Peru cancelation is reminiscent of the handling of the Guatemala deal, and the recent Greenbowl Soccer Tournament where Nigeria made an 11- hour flight to Dallas for the tournament, only to learn on arrival in the US, the event was on hold because of ticketing problem.

The Greenbowl Tournament was botched by US-based Nigerian agent, Pius Oleh, who has since asked the NFF board to forgive him for his role in the shoddy arrangement.

Arising from this development, Green said that henceforth, prospective  agents would have to make a guarantee and sign a performance bond to show their capacity to deliver before they would be given the green light to organise friendly matches on behalf of the federation.

AllAfrica – All the Time