Nigerian state FA boss accuses sports administrator of killing football

Mallam Abdullahi Idris Musa, aka Thuraya, chairman, Kwara State Football Association, FA, has described recent comments by Coach Bola Mogaji, executive chairman, Kwara State Sports Commission, KSC, on the Kwara Stadium pitch maintenance saga as steady farrago of lies.

He  also wondered how payment of N3 million made by professional football clubs to the FA is any business of the the commission he heads.

According to the FA boss, Coach Mogaji’s comments betrayed a total lack of understanding of football administration.

“It’s a shame, really.

“Even he knows that if we have to spell out the entire details of what went down on this matter, he will be the one to have a lot of explaining to do and not me,” Thuraya said.

Coach Mogaji, in some media had responded to allegation of embezzlement made against him over remittances on the use of football pitch of the stadium main bowl by NLO, NNL and NPFL clubs in Ilorin.

The commission boss had confidently said that N3 million was paid to the Football Association’s account out which N1 million was made to the account of Kwara State Sports Commission, KSC, the statutory body charged with managing and overseeing the stadium.

KSC boss further alleged that the FA officials stonewalled the commission in making the payment, resulting in the commission shutting down the stadium against some of the clubs.

But FA and some stakeholders argue that Coach Mogaji should show equal zeal in pitch maintenance and keeping the facilities in proper condition like he does when collecting money for the stadium usage.

Things haven’t been exactly chummy between FA and KSC since a decision by the state government reverted the main bowl pitch to grass from its previous astro-turf status.

The move had come after strong lobby by the FA boss, bringing also a partner to commit a private fund of N30 million to the project.

The partner, an illustrious Ilorin son, AU Mustapha, SAN, former CAF Appeals Committee President, not only undertook funding of the project, he also pledged to maintain the grass pitch all through the duration of Governor Abdulrahaman Abdulrazaq’s tenure.

But as learned, Coach Mogaji had favoured the upgrade of the artificial pitch despite strong arguments that soccer ruling bodies like FIFA and CAF preferred the grassed facility as venue for matches.

Though the governor approved the grassing of the pitch, Thuraya and great number of football enthusiasts in the state believe and openly insist that Coach Mogaji hadn’t gotten over the rebuff of his proposal.

They cite examples to back their claim.

They accused the sports commission boss of sitting on a two year approval by the state governor to build additional pitches outside the stadium main bowl.

Along with approving the grassing of the stadium, the governor also gave the nod to another investor who came with plan and money to build two addition standard pitches, grass and astro tauf football field to complement the main bowl facility.

The detail of the deal not only included building the facility, but also maintaining them while also self generating revenue to be shared between the investor and the state government in percentages.

The allegation is that Governor Abdulrahaman Abdulrazaq approved the project. But that the KSC stymied it by holding on to the approval documents.

The matter had lingered over the past two years with none of them broached it openly to clear the issue.

“All Bola Mogaji is after is trying to make that grass fail so he could put synthetic pitch at the stadium and God will not allow it,” said the FA boss.

According to him, reversing to artificial turf will be taking Kwara State backward.

“Why does Coach Mogaji do what he does?

“Who wouldn’t want good football in his state,” asked a particularly piqued Thuraya.

“We looked for sponsors for the grassing of the pitch because we were forward looking.

“If by tomorrow, FIFA decides not to use synthetic turf again, we would already be in grass pitches in Kwara.

“There is no state that has standard grass pitches in the whole of North.

“We have traveled round the places with Kwara United to play continental and the only place we played on synthetic turf was in Lagos.

“You want to ask yourself; FIFA is trying to move from turf, to grass, why should will remain on artificial turf?

“So we tended to be forward looking in our approach when we approached Governor Abdulrahaman Abdulrazaq to let us partner him in reconverting the main bowl football pitch to grass.

“We did it so that Kwara United will not be moved from Kwara State Stadium one day because it doesn’t have a standard grass pitch.

“Luckily we got a sponsor, an Ilorin son, and with CAF then.

“By then, the stadium’s turf was expired. So we decided to upgrade by returning it to grass pitch.

” You can’t go to Morocco and see synthetic turf, even so, Niger, our neighbor.

“Look at this World Cup Qualifier. Why was Benin moved to Cote d’Ivoire? It is because they don’t have a good enough grass pitches.

“They only have synthetic turfs; more than five of such.

“So they were moved.

“Look at Rivers United.

“At the preliminary stages of CAF club championship, you are allowed to play in any stadium but the moment it got to the crucial stages, they were taken to Uyo.

“Must we wait until it is too late before we do something about our pitches,” asked Thuraya, rhetorically.

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