Nigerians should stop the misinformation

In my view, the first leg of the World Cup playoff between Ghana and Nigeria was played in a competitive yet friendly manner. However, reports coming out of Nigeria is painting a sad and dangerous picture that Ghanaians must take seriously.

I just read that top Super Eagles striker, Victor Osimhen, says they received ill-treatment from Ghanaian fans and authorities

Read full articleright from when they stepped off the chartered flight that brought them from Abuja to Kumasi. He further claims that they were harassed by Black Stars supporters as the team bus made its way inside the Baba Yara Stadium and they were not allowed to inspect the pitch on match day.

In another report, I saw a picture of a rickety stairway attached to an aircraft and they claimed that was their chartered plane. I was not in Kumasi, so I don't know if that was how the Super Eagles disembarked. But it surprises me that the chartered plane did not have its own stairway and they had to use the dilapidated structure. I am not an aviation expert, but I know that every aircraft has its own stairway. And how is that the fault of the GFA?

Regarding fans blocking the bus of the Nigerian team, the same thing happened to the bus which carried the Black Stars. These are players they only see on TV and they were curious to see them in person at close quarters. As Africans themselves, they know these things are common. How is that harassment, especially when the Ghanaian team experienced the same thing?

They also complained about the Nigerian national anthem not being well played and their flag made of cheap material and wrongly positioned by the ball boys before the match. As much as these are diplomatic gaffs, I don't know their relevance under the circumstances. I think there were more important issues on the day. I recall an occasion when our own national flag was once turned upside down. These things are not done intentionally.

They even complained about the number of people who attended the match, claiming that over 70,000 fans were crammed into the 40,000 capacity stadium. How they came by that figure, nobody knows. However, there were reports of 2 Nigerians arrested with a machine with which they were printing the e-tickets being used for the match. If those reports are to be believed, then that contributed to the overcrowding, if there was indeed overcrowding. But how did that affect the match? Did spectators stray into the pitch?

By the way, we are told the Nigerian Minister for Sports is hiring 100 busses to carry their supporters to fill the 60,000 capacity MKO Abiola stadium during the second leg on March 29, 2022. We only want the safety of our team and the 2000 fans from Ghana who would attend the match. I think that was the agreement their High Commissioner had with the Ghanaian authorities, even though, knowing Nigerians, they may have had about thrice that number for the match in Ghana.

Numbers, however, do not mean support. In the match between Italy and North Macedonia, if I am right, a handful of North Macedonian fans were in the stadium when their team stunned the European champions.

Football is just a game and not a matter of life and death. The Nigerians thought they were going to overrun the Black Stars with ease given Ghana's poor performance at the AFCON. They were therefore shocked by Ghana's output on the day and the match result. That is why they are panicking and looking for excuses. Even some of their players who were very ordinary on the day are looking for excuses.

The danger is that they are misinforming their people which can create unnecessary tension during the second leg. Already, some of their people are asking for retaliation, for what I don't know. One does not know to what extent, an ignorant fan can go. That is why I urge our authorities in general and the GFA in particular, to take measures to ensure that our players and supporters are safe before, during, and after the match.

I still maintain that Ghana and Nigeria are brothers and sisters and football must not be allowed to mar that relationship.