Tourney Will Be Sustained

Chief Kashimawo Laloko is a member of the Local Organising Committee, LOC, and General Coordinator of WAFU Nations Cup, that ends tomorrow in Abeokuta, Ogun State, Nigeria. He spoke with SUNDAY AKINTOYE about the regional tournament

How would you assess the competition so far?

We thank God for the success of the competition. I am happy that football in West Africa is growing and waxing stronger. You saw how the teams played good football to the delight of Nigerian fans. You also saw how teams like Nigeria and Togo played. Ghana also played well, but they did not live up to expectations. So far so good, I am happy with the organisation, officiating and standard of the tourney.

Did the withdrawal of Mali, Senegal and Gambia affect the competition in any way?

It did not really affect the competition because after their unfortunate withdrawal, we still went ahead to organise a befitting and colourful competition that the people of Ogun State and Nigerians as a whole are proud of. But the withdrawal of these countries forced us to change our match schedules, which gave us a slight headache.

What are the factors responsible for the withdrawal of these countries in the last minute?

I don’t really know, I leanrt that The Gambia wanted to come but Arik Airline disappointed them. The flight could not meet up with their schedule, so they had to withdraw from the tournament. The case of Mali and Senegal has to do with politicking, which is going on in the competition. They did not give us any serious reason for pulling out.

Would there be any penalty for these countries?

I am not in the best position to answer that question. I think the secretary of WAFU, Aka Malan can answer that question very well. My job is to coordinate and make sure that things are in proper shape.

Some people even said that the absence of former president of WAFU, Amos Adamu, really affected the smooth organisation of the competition, how would you react to this?

It is true, but we are trying to sustain the competition. We know the role that Adamu played in resuscitating WAFU Cup in the sub region. I think we cannot rule out the effect of his absence in the competition, but we thank God that at least we were able to sustain the competition.

Don’t you think WAFU Cup may die prematurely?

WAFU Cup cannot die because the organisers are doing everything to expand the competition in the next edition.

Why are the participating teams limited to eight nations despite the fact that we have 16 countries in the West African sub region?

Let me set the records straight. The organisers normally write to all countries in the sub region to seek their interest in the competition. At the end of the day only few countries replied us. So we have to go ahead with the teams we have. The organisers are not selective but only the countries that show interest were considered.