Ethiopian fans attack Eagles, injure Igiebor

Nosa Igiebor

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 November 16.

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.