NFA angry with Moyes over Yak jibe

24.02.2008

Aberdeen's goalkeeper Jamie Langfield
goes for a save during the Bayern
Munich (Germany) vs Aberdeen FC
(Scotland) round of 32 UEFA Cup
football match in Munich on Friday.
Bayern won 5-1. AFP PHOTO

THE Nigeria Football Association has said that it will report Everton manager, David Moyes to the English FA after the Toffees boss cast aspersions on the age of striker Yakubu Aiyegbeni and Nigerians in general.

NFA spokesman, Demola Olajire said that the NFA would be sending a strongly-worded letter to the English FA asking for sanctions on the coach.

“His statement is insultive to the Nigerian nation and unbecoming of a Premiership manager.

“We don’t take kindly to snide remarks about our players, or our nation and we will be lodging a strongly-worded complaint to the English FA to sanction him.”

In his post match comments after Everton cruised to a 6-1 win over SK Brann at Goodison Park, Moyes was quoted by the UK Guardian as saying.

“What people don’t appreciate is that he’s only 25, albeit a Nigerian 25, and so if that is his age, he’s still got a good few years ahead of him.”

It was a remark that stunned many Nigerians with former Dolphins captain, Ahmed Abdulrahman going as far as saying the comment was borne out of racism.

“It was a racist comment. If Yakubu was Brazilian or European, would he have called it Brazilian or European age?”

“He must be brought to book to explain his comment,” Abdulrahman said.
Fatai Amoo, who coaches Nigerian Premier League Sunshine Stars was stunned into disbelief.

“I want to believe he was joking. John Terry made a similar remark when John Mikel Obi celebrated his 20th birthday too.”