Details have emerged in issues that led to a shift in venue from Makurdi to Enugu for Wednesday’s CAF Champions League preliminaries’ second leg encounter between Lobi Stars and UMS de Loum of Cameroon, who footballlive.ng learnt refused to enter the Benue State capital by road.
Lobi Stars were meant to host the game on their home ground, Aper Aku Stadium, but ongoing work on the runway of the military airport in Makurdi meant the Cameroonian delegation could not enter by air.
Confederation of African Football (CAF) regulations state that visiting teams must be airlifted to any city that is more than 200 kilometres to the match venue, but there is no other within the radius of Makurdi.
Fervent pleas by Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to the delegation from Cameroon to travel to Makurdi from Abuja by road fell on deaf ears, even with the promise of police escort and a comfortable bus.
CAF eventually intervened by directing that the match be played at Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium in Enugu, which is Lobi Stars’ alternate venue.
Same day, a member of the NFF Executive Committee, Alhaji Babagana Kalli was to serve as match commissioner in a CAF Champions League first round, second leg match between Armed Forces of Gambia and FC De San Pedro of Cote d’Ivoire, taking place in Banjul.
