SportsNFF Agrees With FIFA On Ahmed Musa's 98 Appearances For Nigeria; Not...

NFF Agrees With FIFA On Ahmed Musa’s 98 Appearances For Nigeria; Not 100

Ask ZiVA 728x90 Ads

September 09, (THEWILL) – Not long after celebrating the 100-caps mark attained in Nigeria’s colours by the Super Eagles captain Ahmed Musa, a discrepancy was uncovered between the total number of appearances the 28-year-of had for Nigeria between the record of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) and that of world football governing body (FIFA).

On Wednesday, the NFF, which had previously congratulated the player conceded to the accuracy of the more evidence-based FIFA data which had recorded 98 caps for the Turkey-based Musa, who is signed with Fatih Kamagumruk.

This clarification from FIFA was based on the widely-held NFF account that spread the belief that with 99 caps so far amassed by Musa, with his inclusion in the fixture against Liberia at the Teslim Balogun Stadium in Lagos on Friday, September 3, all he needed to become only one of three centurions, was the away tie at Cape Verde.

Glo

To make the it memorable, coach Gernot Rohr handed the captain a starting role in Tuesday’s World Cup qualifier against Cape Verde in Mindelo. The moment he began the fixture, Musa was celebrated as the third player to have bagged 100 caps in the White and Green colours of the Super Eagles of Nigeria.

As THEWILL reported, Amaju Melvin Pinnick, the president of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), did not hesitate to congratulate the team and Musa and to promise the Super Eagles captain a cash reward of N10m for the feat. The President assured the rest of the team that the money was going to be part of the centurion celebration going forward.

In a show of goodwill and sportsmanship, Musa had, in turn, promised to donate half of the amount to his teammates in the national team as they all helped him along the way to his 100th mark.

But, FIFA doused the excitement over the appearance milestone of the forward to say Musa was still on 98 caps according to their record and data collected overtime. The Football body clarified this noting that the NFF record added two international games that were not part of their record.

Therefore, Musa’s appearances in the 3-0 defeat of Togo in a friendly match in Paris in June 2017, on the one hand, and Musa’s participation in the FIFA World Cup Russia 2018 qualifier against Algeria in Constantine in November 2017, on the other, were not eligible to be counted in FIFA’s view.

In a response on Wednesday, Ademola Olajire, the Director of Communications at the NFF, said “We defer to FIFA in this regard, so Ahmed Musa has 98 caps.

“If he features, as expected, in the home-and-away matches against Central African Republic in October, he will clock the tally of 100 and the celebrations will follow in full flow.”

About the Author

Homepage | Recent Posts

Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.

Jude Obafemi, THEWILLhttps://thewillnews.com
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.

More like this
Related

Insurgency: NGO Trains 59 Traditional Rulers, Others On Inclusion Of Survivors, Deradicalised Women

March 29, (THEWILL)- A non-governmental organisation has trained...

Tinubu Appoints Abdullahi Bello New Chairman Of Code Of Conduct Bureau

March 28, (THEWILL)- President Bola Tinubu has approved the...