It was a sow of shame on Wednesday in Abuja as the President of Nigerian Football Federation Amaju Pinnick and and the factional leader Chris Giwa came close to exchanging blows.
They were in deed said to be charging at each other menacingly as they continued to throw verbal brickbats at at each other.
The setting was the meeting called by the Honourable Minister of Sports Barrister Solomon Dalung to discuss about peace in the football house and how to move Nigeria’s football forward. It was a parley organized by the Minister to settle once and for all the wrangling confronting Nigerian football. The event was held at the National Stadium Package B yesterday. Giwa is said to have renewed the fight to get what he believed to be his mandate.
It took the timely intervention of the sports minister aided by security personnel to prevent the football administrators from showing off their pugilistic skills.
The peace meeting began at exactly 3.50pm prompt after the Minister had breezed in at around 3.45pm while Giwa had arrived first at 3.02pm and NFF boss came in later at 3.08pm.
The scuffle started 1hr 15minutes after the commencement of the meeting when Pinnick allegedly called Giwa a bastard. The dialogue that ensued that fueled the scuffle went thus:
Giwa had replied angrily to Pinnick: “You called me a bastard?
The Minister then waded in to caution the NFF boss: “Pinnick withdraw that statement. You were not supposed to use a foul language as a leader.”
Amaju Pinnick then apologised to Giwa: “I am very sorry Mr Giwa. I don’t know what got over me. I am ashamed of my actions. Please forgive me.” The meeting then continued.
