A dinner party planned for the victorious
Super Eagles’ squad on Monday night after the 6-1 defeat of Tahiti in
their Group B 2013 FIFA Confederation Cup match was cancelled at the
instance of FIFA.
A PANA Correspondent reported on Tuesday that the team was billed to
have the dinner at Restaurant Atelier in Savassi centre in Belo
Horizonte but FIFA officials, citing security reasons, prevented the
Nigerian players from leaving their hotel at Belvedere. They said that there had been street protests in Belo Horizonte and
the measure was to prevent the Nigerian team from being caught up in any
mob action.
PANA reports that most major streets in Belo Horizonte were closed on
Monday night by the Brazilian military police following increased
protests in the city.
One of the organisers of the dinner, Olusegun Akinruli, lamented the turn of events. “It is sad, but we have to understand the concerns of FIFA. We would
have loved to celebrate the victory with guests of Nigerian roots,’’
said Olusegun, who prepared the dishes for the players.
The Super Eagles, who at about 4.30 p.m. Nigerian time, touched down
at the densely-populated Atlantic coastal city of Salvador for the next
game, had private dinner at BH Mall in Belo Horizonte and walked back to
their Ceaser Park Hotel.
Councilman Leo Bourgeois also lamented the cancellation of the dinner. “It’s sad. We try to show that there was sufficient security for the athletes. But we have to accept the decision of the FIFA.
“The cancellation was because of legitimate demonstrations within a democratic country.’’ (PANA/NAN)
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