Posted to the Web: Monday, May 29, 2006

The Nigerians were held to a 1-1 draw in the first tie on Thursday but 48 hours later they were on the receiving end as Amokachi was sent out in the dying minutes of the first half for complaining over the handling of the game by referee Peter Mabuza.
“The official on the bench just signalled the referee and told him I was insulting him. The next thing I saw was a red from the referee,” Amokachi told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) after the match.

NAN reports that but for the intervention of top officials of the Nigerian embassy during the interval, the game almost ended after the controversial decision by the South African referee.
Yussuf Muhammed and Onyekachi were sent out for protesting the referee’s decisions while Nasiru Salihu was red carded for wrong tackle.

Besides the four red cards, five other Nigerian players also got yellow cards which virtually took life out of the supposedly friendly match.
The hosts shot into the lead through Graham King in the 43rd minute after Matthew Olorunleke sustained an injury and his substitution had not been effected before Muhammed was sent out.

Koena Mathopa converted a controversial penalty awarded by referee Mabuza in the 88th minute to wrap up the game for the South Africans.
“I commend my boys for holding the game till the end with only seven men on the field,” Amokachi told NAN after the match, saying the Nigerian authorities would protest the shabby treatment by the hosts.
“I now realise why South African soccer cannot grow. They are the ones killing their own game,” said a disappointed Nigerian fan, Sam Iweka.