World Cup Provisional List Ready, Due for Next Week- NFF

Nigeria’s provisional squad list for the 2014 Fifa World Cup in Brazil is ready and will be released next week.

Chairman of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) technical committee, Barrister Chris Green, refutes a newspaper report that the football federation and national team handler, Stephen Keshi, painted a picture of a deadlock, following last Tuesday’s meeting, to try manage “a bad case”.

According to the report, Keshi did not submit any squad list at the technical committee meeting and in connivance with his employers lied about the situation.

The Nigeria Football Federation.
The Nigeria Football Federation.

“The list of players is ready,” Green is quoted as saying on African Football. “As we said, coach Keshi is making more consultations and the list will be released next week.

“We have not defaulted in any way, because the deadline for the submission of provisional list of 30 players to Fifa remains May 13.

“There was no bad case at all. We met with coach Keshi and we discussed the programme of preparation for the World Cup, and everyone was happy.

“It was wrong for anyone to say the NFF and Keshi lied to Nigerians.

“We are responsible citizens and diligent in what we do, and will never take the nation and its people for a ride.”