Supporters move Fair Play gospel to Korea

Pressed by the urge to spread the gospel of fair play on one hand and to garner more support for Nigerian football teams globally, on the other, Nigeria Football Supporters Club will on Saturday November 27, 2005 launch a branch in South Korea.

President General of the club, Dr. Raufu Oladipo, told nigeriasports.com before his departure last Wednesday that, the NFSC considered establishing the branch because it had met the conditions given to it.

He disclosed that the Federal Ministry of Sports and Social Development, the Nigeria Embassy in Korea and the Nigeria Football Association were aware of the event.

“We at the NFSC have made it mandatory to set up supporters in all countries across the world so that, we may not lack support whenever our national teams travel abroad for international engagements,” he explained.

Oladipo said although the Supporters club members were still grieving over the exit of Nigeria from the next World Cup finals, they would not allow this to distract them from future proposals.

“This is one of the programmes we had in the pipeline before the World Cup disaster and we cannot afford to cancel it simply because we failed, after three consecutive appearances we felt sad that we will be missing in Germany. This notwithstanding, life must go on,” he consoled.
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The supporters club boss, however, called on the Nigerian soccer authority to ensure that the preparations toward the next Nations Cup in January 2006, start immediately.

“We at the supporters club have resolved not to stop supporting the team, but we are equally bent on ensuring that, Nigeria does not present an ill- prepared team for the competition,” the nation’s sports cheer leader warned.

He said for failing to grab the World Cup ticket what should be our target now was to go ahead and win the Nations Cup and restore the country’s pride. Oladipo asked those at the soccer house that with less than two months to the biennial continental football showcase of the number of grade A warm up matches that have been arranged for the team.

.ADEOLU JOHNSON