Okocha begs media: ‘Stop writing falsehoods about me’

By Patrick Omorodion

Former Super Eagles captain, Austin ‘Jay Jay’ Okocha has appealed to the Nigerian Media to stop writing falsehoods about him, stressing that he is open to interviews if and when they seek his opinion on issues concerning football.

The former Bolton Wanderers of England captain was reacting to an online medium story that he criticised the Nigeria Football Federation, NFF, over the appointment of Mali’s Eric Chelle as the new coach of the Super Eagles.

Speaking on Lagos Talks FM monitored in Lagos, Okocha said he didn’t grant any interview to anybody how much criticising the NFF on their appointment of a coach.

“I didn’t grant any interview. I don’t know why the person that wrote that story quoted me.

“We might have similar opinion to certain things but let it come from me,” he said, adding, I want to appeal to these people writing these falsehoods to desist from it. If you want to talk to me, you can call me”.

On his purported call for the sack of the NFF Board, Okocha said, “I have always been outspoken whenever I have something to say. I believe in what is just.

“Even if you know that things are wrong in the NFF, you cannot say they should dissolve the NFF Board, there is a process, they are elected.

“I am close to (Ibrahim) Gusau, Victor (Ikpeba), Garba (Lawal) and (Augustine) Eguavoen and being a football person, if I have anything to say, I’ll reach out and talk to them.

“I don’t have to communicate to them through the press. If I talk to them and they don’t listen or don’t see value in what I’m saying, then I can go public,” he stressed.