NEWS UPDATE – DUE TO UNFORTUNATE CIRCUMSTANCES AND ORGANIZATIONAL HICCUPS, THE PROPOSED TOURNAMENT WILL NOT HOLD. UNCONFIRMED SOURCES CLAIM THAT THE USA SOCCER BODY AND THE MANAGEMENT OF THE COTTON BOWL STADIUM WERE NOT AWARE OF SUCH A TOURNAMENT.
AS AT PRESS TIME, ONLY THE NIGERIAN SOCCER TEAM ARRIVED DALLAS. THEY ARE SAID TO HAVE BEEN ORDERED BACK TO NIGERIA BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE NIGERIAN SOCCER FEDERATION (NFF); AMINU MAIGAIRI.
A SOCCER FAN WHO RESPONDED TO AN EARLIER POSTED ANNOUNCEMENT HAD CALLED THE TICKETING AGENT TO VERIFY THE COSTS AND THE RESPONSE WAS THAT THEY (TICKETMASTER) WERE NOT AWARE OF ANY SUCH TOURNAMENT. THE FAN WENT ON TO EXPRESS HIS EMBARRASSMENT AND DISAPPOINTMENT AND DESCRIBED THE SITUATION AS UNFORTUNATE.
IT HAS ALSO BEEN VERIFIED THAT THE GREEN SOCCER BOWL TOURNEY IS NOT IN ANYWAY AFFILIATED WITH ANY USA SOCCER BODY. IT’S TIMING JUST COINCIDES WITH THE USA PRESIDENTS DAY CELEBRATIONS.
ADDITIONAL REPORTS:
The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has expressed its indignation at the embarrassment caused Nigeria by the postponement of the 2011 United States’ President’s Holiday Celebration Soccer Tournament (a.k.a Green Bowl Soccer Tournament), after the national football team had arrived in the USA for the tournament.
NFF President, Alhaji Aminu Maigari slammed the organiser of the tournament, US-based Nigerian FIFA Licensed Agent, Pius Oleh and instructed the NFF Secretariat to make a detailed report of the fiasco to world football governing body, FIFA.
“This is untenable. How can he tell us that there was a ticketing problem after our team had travelled that long distance to play? How can he tell us that he did not know there was a problem until our national team arrived in America?
“This is totally irresponsible on his part. How come he did not ensure that everything was in place before telling our team to start coming? We are not going to take this lightly.
“We will get all the documents that have to do with the tournament, all the agreements we had with him along the way and send them to FIFA,” said Maigari.
The Nigeria delegation, made up of 20 players and nine officials, and led by Member of the NFF Executive Committee, Barrister Olaleye Adepoju flew 11 hours from Lagos to Atlanta overnight on Wednesday, February 23 and then connected Dallas, Texas believing it would take part in a four-nation US President’s Holiday Celebration Soccer Tournament packaged by America-based Nigerian Pius Oleh, who already had the go-ahead of the United States Football Federation for the event.
However, the delegation was shocked beyond words when Oleh called to inform them that they were having problem with the Ticket Master and that the competition would have to be postponed by two weeks.
Oleh also changed the plan for accommodation, directing the Nigeria team to the Marriott Courtyard instead of the Double Tree, and then failed to show up to meet with the team until the following day.
Head Coach Samson Siasia, who has long been resident in the United States and whose family lives there, made spirited efforts to arrange friendly games so the trip would not be a total waste, but the complications of getting such games approved at short notice and the requirements to secure permission for use of stadium stalled the efforts.
In his own defence of what happened, Oleh said on the telephone that he had everything tidied up until the problem with the Ticket Master cropped up on Thursday evening.
“I am embarrassed myself at what has happened, but the truth is that we had everything keyed and the teams had been informed to start coming, before the Ticket Master developed problem. It was not something that anyone could do anything about at such short notice. It was not something we could have envisaged, having done all that was required to get things right.
“We have the approval of the United States Soccer Federation and letters of commitment from the countries involved. We had invested a lot of resources and energy into making this happen and honestly, I am devastated. But I am more worried about the fact that the Nigeria team had arrived for the tournament.
“I am saddened by this, but there was nothing anyone could have done about it. We can’t allow the tournament to go ahead without tickets. We had not collected any money from anyone for any aspect of the tournament, so you cannot call this a scam.”
The FIFA Licensed Agent insisted that the tournament would still take place in a fortnight’s time.
“Surely, the tournament will take place in two weeks,” said Oleh.
However, Alhaji Maigari, who cancelled his scheduled trip on Friday alongside that of the chairman of the Technical Committee, Christopher Green, insisted the Super Eagles would not be available for the new date.
“Pius Oleh will first have to explain to FIFA this embarrassment. We have no business with him concerning any new date. He should be ready to offset all our expenses and also pay compensation. Let him play his tournament with any teams he wants.
“All the same, we apologise to Nigerians and the Government for this unfortunate incident,” said Maigari.
Maigari on Saturday instructed team officials to harness efforts at getting seats on the Delta Airline flight from Atlanta to Lagos on Sunday, for the team to return home. The Super Eagles had trained on Friday and Saturday at a facility close to their Marriott Courtyard hotel.
SOURCE: Nigeria Soccer News
DALLAS – The Nigerian National soccer team will feature at the 2011 edition of the Green Soccer Bowl tournament. The event is slated for the Cotton Bowl Stadium; Fair Park in Dallas, Texas and would feature other teams from Costa Rica, Panama and Mexico. The Cotton Bowl stadium was the venue of Nigeria’s first ever FIFA world cup Finals match which ended with a 3-0 victory over Bulgaria in June 1994.
The “Green Soccer Bowl” name is derived from the unique tournament championship cup which is designed specifically for the games. The official name of the tournament is United States Presidents Day Celebration Invitational tournament which celebrates the US Presidents day holiday every February.
The new Coach of the Nigerian National team (Super Eagles); Samson Siasia is expected to lead the delegation to the games which has been scheduled to hold on the 26th and 27th of February.
Tickets are available online at ticketmaster.com
Coach Samson Siasia – photo by Trendy Africa
For more info; http://www.greensoccerbowl.com/
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