By Mark Baber
August 25 – Malawi’s Belgian national team coach Tom Saintfiet says his solicitors will be reporting Stephen Keshi (pictured) to FIFA after the Nigerian national team coach called him “a white dude who should go back to Belgium.”
Keshi’s comment came in a radio interview after one of the radio presenters told him Saintfiet had written to FIFA asking for the upcoming Nigeria-Malawi game to be relocated from Calabar in Cross River State on safety grounds.
Football Association of Malawi (FAM) chief executive officer Suzgo Nyirenda wrote a letter to FIFA claiming that Calabar was an unsafe venue for the crucial September 7 World Cup qualifier, on the basis of what he claimed was the travel advice from the Commonwealth Commission.
Saintfiet told local media at the time his concerns over security were because “the UK’s Foreign & Commonwealth Office says it is a no-travel area.”
FIFA responded by asking for a security guarantee from appropriate authorities as well as a detailed security plan. These were apparently provided by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) and the Inspector General of Police of Nigeria.
The matter may have rested there, but for a radio interview by Stephen Keshi with Vox Africa’s Sports 360 show. One of the presenters said to Stephen Keshi, “Tom Saintfiet, the coach of Malawi, has written to FIFA to ask for the venue of Calabar for the World Cup qualifier next month to be moved. How do you respond to that?”
Stephen Keshi responded by saying: “The coach of Malawi, I think, is crazy. I have never used any words like these to any coach. …He has no right, who is he?
“If he wants to talk to FIFA, he should go back to Belgium. He is not an African person, he is a white dude, he should go back to Belgium.”
Keshi continued, “He’s just a crazy person, he’s mad, he’s off his head. He is mad I wish I could say it to his face.
Speaking to BBC Sport, Saintfiet responded to Keshi’s remarks saying: “Mr Keshi can call me mad and crazy – no problem – but the racism is unacceptable.
“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.”
“These words create hate and aggression, and creates a risk ahead of the match in Calabar,” Saintfiet added. “These comments are unacceptable and I am very sad about them.
“I will not say any bad words about Mr Keshi, nor Nigeria – I only spoke about moving the game.
“If FIFA takes racism seriously, then you have to take it seriously in both directions. If a European said something of this nature about an African, you would have a huge problem.
“I am against racism in all directions.”
Saintfiet remains concerned about the safety of Calabar, saying: “If FIFA says it’s OK (for the match to be played in Calabar) because Nigeria will provide anti-bomb squads, then surely this is a problem at the beginning. If you need anti-bomb squads, you cannot consider the area safe. It is designated a non-travel area, high-risk area. We are not insulting anyone.”
In fact Calabar, which was long a main port for the British to export slaves to the Caribbean, is now probably one of the safest areas in Nigeria and this explains some of Keshi’s incredulity.
As of today, the FCO advice appears somewhat confusing as their website advises against all travel to “riverine areas” of Cross River State. The Cross River State government describes Calabar as a “riverine area”. However, the FCO map of Nigeria on the same website shows Calabar outside of the coloured area where only essential travel is advised.
Ironically, the FCO advice may originate from an out-dated UK government study, and the whole affair to have originated from a failure to properly define “riverine areas”.
However, the fact remains that Keshi’s comments were inflammatory and Keshi, who spent many years in Belgium as a player, should have been aware of their similarity to the words used by racists in Europe.
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