By Golok Nanmwa ,Jos

Management of Plateau United Football Club of Jos has appealed to the Confederation of African Football CAF to sanction Simba Sports Club of Tanzania over its unsportsmanlike conduct during last Saturday’s return leg of the first round preliminary fixture of the competition played in Dar Es Salaam.

A statement from the Media Officer of the Club, Albert Dakup, made available to newsmen in Jos on Wednesday regretted that in this jet age, Simba regard football as a do or die affair which explains why the indulged in the underhand dealings to win the match at all cost which failed to materialised.

Dakup explained that in a quest to win at all cost , Simba maltreated the team right from the Julius Nyerere International Airport when they deliberately delayed the accreditation process of the contingent at the immigration section of the airport.

He lamented that the team top striker, Sunday Adetunji who only joined the team three months ago was denied passage out of the airport under the guise that his international passport is not duely signed by the relevant authorities in Nigeria.

It took the timely intervention of a Nigerian Immigration official, Assistant Comptroller of Immigration , Austin Wuyep to have the matter resolved amicably after heated exchange of words by the officials and the Tanzanian Immigration authorities and Plateau United delegation.

“Unlike when Simba visited Jos for the first leg when 5 buses including two coaster where provided to convey them from the Heipang Airport to their hotel in Jos, not any single Simba official was at the Airport to receive the team

“When the team finally got to the Blue Sapphire hotel, it was another mild drama as the Tanzanian authorities insisted that the contingent must take the mandatory Covid-19 test before allowing the team walk out at the Benjamin Mkapa Stadium.

“But after the intervention of the team’s doctor, William Golit, it was finally agreed that the players be allowed to train first, before taking the test later. But the officials were asked to go for the test instead .

On the day of the match , it was another big issue as the Tanzanian Football Federation in collaboration with the security at the stadium, tried to stop the management of the team including the head of delegation and NFF executive committee member, Mohammed Alkali from entering the team dressing room.

The heated debate resulted in fisticuffs and the General Manager of the Club , Pius Henwan had his phone stolen in the process before the timely intervention of the match commissioner, brought the situation under control.

As if that was not enough , two players who tormented Simba in Jos, Ibrahim Abubakar and Sunday Adetunji were suspiciously tested positive to Covid-19 , when it was obvious the results has not reached the mandatory 24 hours.

The plot which was also to have coach Abdu Maikaba barred from the bench under the pretext of been tested positive to Covid-19 however failed as the Simba officials failed to distinguish between a head coach and a chief coach..

That development forced the technical crew to draft in Abdulrahman Bashir and Wasiu Jimoh to replace the duo who were disgusted with the result of the test.

Not satisfied with the results of the test conducted by the Tanzanian Football Authorities, the team underwent another round of test of the two players and three officials including the General Manager of the club in another Laboratory to ascertain the validity of the first test and surprisingly, all the result returned negative.

Interestingly, before the team left for Tanzania Wednesday, the did two tests within five days and the result came out negative, so one wonders what kind of test did the Tanzanian authorities subjected the team to that came out negative.

It is on this premise that the management of the club is calling in the CAF to do the needful by sanctioning Simba for the unsportsmanlike behaviour stressing that there should be no place for such conduct in modern day football.

The team urged the continental soccer ruling body to come down heavily on Simba in order to serve as deterrent to others who may like to toe the same ignoble path.

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Plateau United FC appeals to CAF to sanction Simba Sports Club for unsportsmanlike conduct