The national chairman of the Nigeria Football Supporters Club (NFSC) Ambassador Samuel Ikpea has disclosed that the Super Eagles will enjoy tremendous support when the AFCON 2023 gets underway in Cote d’Ivoire next year.
Nigeria is group alongside hosts, Cote d’Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea and Guinea Bissau in Group A.
Speaking with Blueprint Sport in Abuja, Ambassador Ikpea stated categorically that “Abidjan is like home to us. We have over two million Nigerians living in the West African country. Apart from that, we have a chapter that has already been established there 15 years ago and they are fully on ground. And from the neighbouring countries like Ghana, Togo, we also have chapters there and we are also mobilising our members from here to ensure that we go enmasse and give the Super Eagles all the necessary support they needed to win the trophy.”
Ambassador Samuel Ikpea also revealed that the leadership of the club is in touch with relevant bodies both within and outside the country to ensure that all the warring factions are brought under one umbrella.
“Well, we have been doing our best to make sure that all the people that break away from the us (NFSC) come back together. We have only one team and country that we are supporting. We can’t be going out of the country with different supporters club.
“Just like it is said in the local parlance, united we stand, divided we fall,” a divided house cannot achieve anything. We have to go as a united front as it used to be when we won the Nations’ Cup in the past. Let’s us go as one, let us pass one message to them. We have a tradition when we go for such events, we fast, we stay away from immorality, we know the inspirational songs to sing but if we go with different groups, one group is fasting, the other one is doing something different, it will affect the team.
“We are doing our best to bring everybody back. They all break away from us, and they must come back. So what I am saying is that the government, the football stakeholders, should not support division or break away, they should not support factional supporters club. If you know you love the game, and country, go back to your parent body.” Ikpea stated.
It was gathered that the Sports Ministry and the chieftains of the Nigeria Football Federation are doing everything possible to bring all the supporters club under one umbrella body.
