{{Malawi coach Tom Saintfiet is to report Stephen Keshi to Fifa after the Nigeria coach called him “a white dude who should go back to Belgium”.}}
The pair have been arguing since Malawi asked Fifa to move next month’s crucial World Cup qualifier from Calabar for safety reasons.
Saintfiet told journalists: “It is unacceptable that any person says these words – it is clear racism.
“It is 100% sure that my lawyers will lodge a complaint with Fifa.”
The row erupted earlier this month when the Football Association of Malawi (FAM) wrote to Fifa, seeking a new venue for their 7 September Group F qualifier away to the Super Eagles – a match which Malawi, who trail Nigeria by two points, must win to progress to the play-offs.
Belgian Saintfiet told local media at the time that he was concerned about security because he claims “the UK’s Foreign & Commonwealth Office says it is a no-travel area”.
Keshi hit back shortly afterwards, saying “this is where we play our games and other countries are fine with that”.
And the Nigerian Football Federation complied with Fifa’s request for a written guarantee that the game would go ahead safely.
Leave a Reply