The President of the Nigerian Football Federation, Ibrahim Musa Gusau, described the circulated report in some sections of social media about a dispute with the President of the Royal Moroccan Football Federation, Fouzi Lekjaa, as “complete lies.”
The report published on Tuesday claimed that a scuffle broke out between the two men, accusing Lekjaa of cursing the President of the Nigerian Federation because he questioned the officiating of the match between their national teams.
The President of the Nigerian Federation said in an official statement “I really don’t know where this report came from. The relations between Nigeria and Morocco in football are very friendly, and even at the government level, the two countries share a warm relationship. Personally, I have always had a good relationship with Mr. Lekjaa.”
He added, “There was no yelling or verbal altercation, and no insults were thrown. Whoever fabricated this report engaged in complete lying.”
Gusau also denied having made any comments regarding the officiating of the second semifinal match of the Africa Cup of Nations between Nigeria and Morocco, which took place at Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat on Wednesday, January 14.
He added: “Before the match, I publicly announced that the Nigerian Football Federation was not concerned about officiating. After the match, I made no comments at all, and I am extremely surprised by the source of the story in which the journalist claims that Mr. Lekjaa and I had a verbal dispute over my comments on the officiating of the match. As for the Nigerian Football Federation, we have only praise and commendation for the Moroccan Football Federation, the local organizing committee, the Government of Morocco, and the Confederation of African Football, for organizing a very successful Africa Cup of Nations, which carried all its brilliance and splendor that will remain etched in our memories for many years to come.”
Who is Behind the Rumor
Journalist Romain Molina is behind the publication of the rumor, claiming in his report that Fouzi Lekjaa resorted to cursing to respond to the President of the Nigerian Federation after a dispute broke out between them.
This journalist has previously promoted a number of rumors, including allegations about referees favoring Morocco, which sparked widespread controversy throughout the Africa Cup.
