Players of the Super Falcons confronted a man who harassed and accused them of playing for Nigeria despite the atrocities going on in the Country inside a train in Vienna, Austria. A video showed the man, who claimed to be a Nigerian citizen, accusing the players for not speaking out against the regime of the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd).
But the Nigeria Football Federation says it would immediately report the case thr to world football body FIFA and would pursue the case to its logical conclusion.
The Falcons were on a tour of the city on public transport when they were subjected to harassment on Tuesday, July 20, 2021.
A commuter while harassing the Super Falcons on a train in Austria said:
“I am also a Nigerian, and I have lived in Vienna for so many years and you people are representing a terrorist group. You Nigerian youths should be very ashamed of yourselves, every one of you should be ashamed of yourselves.
“This can’t happen in another country, that their youths are representing this government. Over 10 million Nigerian youths are abroad doing nothing and you people who are supposed to know about it are representing a terrorist organisation called Buhari, kidnapping citizens, killing youths.
“I am calling on you, go back home, don’t represent this country, you don’t understand what Nigerians are going through, you should be the ones to fight for everyone,” the man, who claimed he played for defunct Julius Berger FC, said.
“I played for Julius Berger, I am a footballer also, the corruption in Nigeria drove me here and I am here suffering.”
The NFF president Amaju Pinnick also said the federation has kicked off moves to ensure “the unmasking of the self-acclaimed Nigerian who got on the train with the Super Falcons in Vienna, Austria on Tuesday and made the players uncomfortable with inflammatory political talks.”
He continued, “We are infuriated because these are young ladies who are our ambassadors and are there in Austria preparing for major international competitions. That was a dastardly act by that fellow and we are not taking it lightly. The girls simply wanted to go on sightseeing and there is nothing wrong with that. They do not deserve to be subjected to such diatribe by a so-called fellow Nigerian.
“We will unmask the fellow and then take it from there.”