The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has clarified their role in the recent travel complications faced by the South African national team, Bafana Bafana, ahead of their World Cup Qualifier against the Super Eagles.
While acknowledging some delays and a last-minute change in landing location, the NFF emphasized they were not responsible for the issues.
According to NFF Protocol Chief, Emmanuel Ayanbunmi, a miscommunication arose regarding the South African team’s chartered flight. Initially informed of an 8am departure from South Africa with a planned landing in Lagos, the flight was delayed by five hours.
“The problem has nothing to do with the NFF,” Ayanbunmi stated. “We were prepared to facilitate a smooth arrival in Lagos, but the departure time was significantly delayed, and we were not informed.”
Despite this setback, the NFF acted swiftly. They contacted relevant authorities in Lagos to expedite immigration procedures for the South African team upon arrival.
However, another hurdle emerged. Less than two hours before landing, the NFF learned that the planned landing location had changed from Lagos to Port Harcourt.
“We quickly mobilized officials in Port Harcourt to ensure a smooth arrival and immigration process,” Ayanbunmi explained.
After completing formalities, the team encountered a final obstacle: the Obong Victor Attah Airport in Uyo, their final destination, only operates during daylight hours. This meant the team would be unable to travel to Uyo immediately.
According to the NFF, they stepped in to arrange comfortable accommodations for the South African team in Port Harcourt for the night.
The Bafana Bafana contingent arrived Uyo on Thursday amidst heavy rainfall and had their only training session under floodlights at the main bowl of the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium on Thursday evening.
Both sides will slug it out against each other in a crucial World Cup qualifier fixture by 8pm today, Friday.
The last time both teams faced off against each other was in the semifinals of the Africa Cup of Nations where Nigeria progressed via penalties after regulation time ended in a tie.
