The National Sports Commission (NSC) has rejected claims by former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, that he was deliberately excluded from the airport reception of Nigeria’s U-17 women’s football team, the Flamingos.
The commission maintained that the reception of the players, who represented Nigeria at the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup, should be a moment of national unity rather than an opportunity for political disagreements.
Obi had reportedly raised concerns over what he described as political exclusion during the reception of the team.
However, officials of the commission disputed his account, saying they did not see the former Anambra State governor anywhere around the players during the event.
According to the officials, two individuals dressed in campaign attire approached them and requested an opportunity for Obi to meet the players and take photographs with the team.
The commission's position is that the incident should not be interpreted as an attempt to sideline any individual on political grounds.
It further stressed that the Flamingos' achievement belongs to the entire country, adding that sports should remain a unifying platform for Nigerians regardless of their political affiliations.
The development has generated reactions, with the debate shifting attention from the team's sporting achievement to the circumstances surrounding its airport reception.
ReportNaija reports that the Flamingos represent Nigeria in the FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup, a competition that brings together some of the best young female football talents from across the world.