Enyeama defends his actions saying he was not summoned to appear before NFF

SUPER Eagles skipper Vincent  Enyeama has responded to claims that he showed disrespect to Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) by failing to attend Tuesday's disciplinary hearing claiming that he was not asked to appear before the panel.

 

According to NFF officials, Enyeama had been summoned before its Organising and Disciplinary Committee on Tuesday after he publicly tore up a query issued to him for criticising the security in the city of Kaduna when the Eagles played Chad there on June 13. However, the player failed to show up at the hearing, raising the prospect of a ban or suspension.

 

Head coach Stephen Keshi who was also summoned to appear before the panel showed up to proffer explanations on two charges he was facing. Keshi was under scrutiny for allegedly applying for the job of Ivory Coast manager and there were also question marks about his selection of players in the last African Nations Cup qualifier.

 

However, Enyeama defended his non-appearance, saying that he was not officially asked to attend the disciplinary committee sitting. He rejects the accusation that he was in breach of the NFF's code of conduct with his remarks about security in Kaduna.

 

Enyeama said: “I respect my country and those in charge of our football, which is why I find the whole thing strange. As the captain, I only raised our concerns about the venue before our game which didn’t go down well with the football authority.

 

“I was told to apologise for my comments, which I did immediately and they told me that’s fine.  I only received a letter cautioning me about it and to avoid a repeat of such, so personally, as it was resolved in-house I thought that was the end of the matter.

 

"I only found out about a disciplinary hearing in the media but I didn’t get any letter to that effect.” Currently the Super Eagles most capped player with 101 appearances, Enyeama denies he failed to reply to messages from the NFF seeking an explanation for his comments.

 

 He could face a lengthy ban for his comments which the NFF feels broke its recent code of conduct signed by the players. Ultimately, the NFF executive board will have the final say on any punishments, on a date yet to be decided.

 

It has also been confirmed that the Super Eagles will play their next home 2017 Nations Cup qualifier against Egypt in Kaduna next March. This will be after the team plays its next match away to Tanzania in September.