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Published 24 Oct, 2008 12:00am

PFF dishes out shabby treatment to Nigerian official

LAHORE, Oct 23: Nsibaba, a Nigerian marketing official of the Al-Nasr Football Club, Dubai, who is in Pakistan to help Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) earn funds through sponsorship has claimed that the federation left him in shambles after he suffered a paralysis attack here in the first week of October, a charge, however, denied by the federation.

Nsibaba, who was staying in a local hotel but could not speak very well due to the attack, will be going back to Dubai on Thursday, an official of the hotel where Nsibaba is staying told Dawn.

Though Nsibaba was not in a position to speak clearly, a hotel official on the condition of the anonymity said that Nsibaba was brought to the hotel by some PFF officials on Oct 8. Later it was revealed that the foreigner had suffered paralysis.

The hotel’s official further said that the PFF officials visited the hotel again and are now making arrangements to send Nsibaba back to Dubai after some TV channel broke the news about him. When contacted PFF secretary Col (retd) Ahmad Yar Lodhi said that the federation had no knowledge of his sickness.

“The Nigerian came here on Sept 5 and stayed at the PFF hostel at the FIFA Goal Project here. Later he disclosed that his Dubai visa had been expired. The PFF allowed him to go back to Dubai. According to our record, the foreigner left on Oct 8. But on Wednesday the PFF came to know through the media that Nsibaba is sick and staying in a hotel here,” the secretary said.

Interestingly, the secretary said that the foreigner left for the airport from FIFA House in a taxi as no official conveyance had been provided to him.

“The PFF will have him admitted in a hospital for treatment. We have also informed the Al-Nasr Club authorities in Dubai in order to seek guidance regarding the matter and are waiting for their reply,” the secretary said.

He denied that the PFF officials had taken him to a hotel instead of making arrangements for his treatment.

The secretary admitted that when Nsibaba came here last month his left hand was trembling. He had been introduced to the federation by PFF marketing director Sardar Naveed.

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