Mr. Harrison Jalla, the former Nigeria international and chairman of the Advocacy for Nigeria Football Reform Concepts, has claimed that the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) fabricated a “fake” petition against DR Congo to distract football enthusiasts in Nigeria and the Federal Government from their mismanagement regarding the country’s World Cup qualification efforts.
Nigeria was unable to secure a spot in the World Cup, which will be co-hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico, from an African qualifying group that included Rwanda, Lesotho, Zimbabwe, Benin Republic, and South Africa.
In light of DR Congo’s victory over Jamaica in the inter-confederation playoff on Tuesday, several stakeholders have suggested that the NFF’s assertion of having filed a petition against DR Congo for fielding ineligible players during the African playoff final, where they triumphed over Nigeria, was merely a ruse, especially since the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS) had not issued any ruling on the matter prior to the intercontinental playoff in Mexico.
Jalla, who supports this allegation, stated that the NFF resorted to this tactic to shift the focus of millions of Nigerians and the Presidency away from investigating their management of the failure to qualify for the World Cup for the second consecutive time.
In response to Jalla’s accusations, the NFF Media Director, Ademola Olajire, quickly remarked: “Jalla has been making various claims. I have nothing further to add on this; it is no different from his previous statements.”
Expounding on his concerns, Jalla questioned: “What is the current status of the petition against DR Congo? The Nigeria Football Federation continues to be a significant source of ridicule.
After failing to qualify for both the 2022 and 2026 World Cups, primarily due to administrative failures, gross incompetence, and corruption, despite the ten qualification slots available to Africa, the NFF attempted, albeit unsuccessfully, to divert the attention of football-loving Nigerians and the Federal Government.
“The NFF concocted a fake petition against DR Congo, in which they alleged dual citizenship, amongst other accusations, against DRC players, and submitted it to FIFA.
