The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has responded to the complaints from the South African delegation, which faced travel issues upon arriving in Nigeria for the World Cup qualifier.
The South African team had to stay overnight in Port Harcourt on Wednesday and only managed to fly into Uyo on Thursday morning.
NFF’s Protocol Chief, Emmanuel Ayanbunmi, clarified the situation, stating that the South African Football Association (SAFA) had initially informed the NFF that their chartered aircraft would depart South Africa at 8 am on Wednesday, landing in Lagos for immigration formalities before proceeding to Uyo.
“The problem has nothing to do with the NFF,” Ayanbunmi asserted. “Despite their scheduled departure time, it took them an additional five hours to actually leave South Africa, and we were not informed of this delay.
We had already coordinated with Nigeria Immigration Service and other relevant agencies in Lagos to expedite the necessary formalities for their arrival.”
The confusion escalated when, less than two hours before landing, the South African team communicated that their landing rights were for Port Harcourt International Airport instead of Murtala Muhammed Airport (MMA) in Lagos.
The NFF had to quickly adapt, contacting officials in Port Harcourt to facilitate the immigration process smoothly.
“After completing all immigration formalities in Port Harcourt, the South African team wanted to depart for Uyo but were informed that the Obong Victor Attah Airport only operates from sunrise to sunset, making it impossible to fly that night.
The NFF promptly mobilized resources to ensure the team spent the night comfortably in Port Harcourt,” Ayanbunmi explained.
The NFF insists that the delays and subsequent complications were due to SAFA’s mismanagement of their travel plans, not any negligence on the part of Nigerian officials.
The situation has added an unexpected layer of tension ahead of the crucial World Cup qualifying match between Nigeria and South Africa.
