Nigeria midfielder Nosa Igiebor was
injured when angry Ethiopian fans
attacked the Super Eagles after the first
leg World Cup playoff against the Walya
Antelopes in Addis Ababa on Sunday.
The Eagles defeated the Walya
Antelopes 2-1 at the Addis Ababa
Stadium to take a three-point advantage
to the return match in Calabar on
In a statement on Monday, spokesman
for the Eagles Ben Alaiya said the fans
attacked the bus conveying the Eagles
to their hotel after the game with
stones and shattered its rear
windscreen.
“(Real Betis player) Nosa Igiebor was
the unlucky one as the stones slashed
his right palm leading to profuse
bleeding that was immediately attended
to by team doctor, Ibrahim Gyaran.”
Alaiya said the Nigeria Football
Federation reported the incident to the
FIFA Security team at the match venue
for the encounter.
“We hope FIFA will take an action,”
Umeh told BBC Sport.
“It’s a shame that such an embarrassing
behaviour could happen after a football
match.”
The NFF also accused the Ethiopians of
maltreating the Nigerian supporters at
the stadium on match day.
“Matters came to a head on match day,
when bottles were hauled at Nigerian
players and supporters when the
Ethiopians thought that they had scored
an opener in the first half,” Alaiya said.
However, the NFF insisted that the
Ethiopians would not be maltreated
when they visit Calabar for the return
leg in November.
Unconfirmed reports said some
Nigerians resident in the North-East
African country were also attacked and
their business centres destroyed by the
protesters.
Meanwhile, the Nigerian delegation to
the Addis Ababa arrived at the
Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport,
Abuja at about 4.30am on Monday.
According to the News Agency of
Nigeria, the Nigeria Football Federation
President, Alhaji Aminu Maigari, led the
team back home.
NAN reports that while most of the
foreign-based players connected flights
immediately back to their bases in
Europe, the domestic league players
returned to the country.
Some National Assembly members,
including the Senate Committee
Chairman on Sports, Adamu Gumba, and
his House of Representatives
counterpart, Godfrey Gaiya, were in the
entourage that arrived with the team.
Others were officials of the National
Sports Commission, the Nigeria Football
Supporters’ Club, as well as the
management and secretariat staff of the
NFF.
Media representatives were also in the
263-man delegation that made the trip.
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