FIFA confirms Malawi complaint on Keshi

The world football governing body Federation of International Football Associations has confirmed that it had received an official complaint from the Football Association of Malawi over comments made by Nigeria coach Stephen Keshi.

FIFA however said, “Please understand that we cannot comment any further at this stage,” to further enquiries from BBC Sport.

The Malawi federation wants action taken over what it calls ‘racist’ remarks by Keshi aimed at their Belgian coach Tom Sainfiet.

“We feel the racist remarks by Mr. Keshi are not acceptable,” Fam’s general secretary Suzgo Nyirenda told BBC Sport.

“We thought it was a personal attack on our coach and we had to defend him regardless of skin. We felt we should help our coach and at the same time put a stop to the racist remarks from Mr Keshi. We have sent evidence of what Keshi said and we hope FIFA will come up with some measures to control Mr Keshi.”

The case concerns comments Keshi made in reaction to Malawi’s calls to have the 2014 World Cup qualifier between the two nations moved from the city of Calabar on security grounds.

In the phone interview aired on UK-based African television show, Keshi said, “I think the coach of Malawi is crazy. 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.”

But on Monday, the Super Eagles coach explained his comment on the Belgian.

He told Supersport, “I was just standing up for my country when someone tries to make insinuations that it is not a safe place. I have nothing against Sainfelt, he was in Nigeria recently and we shook hands and had a few things we discussed. I just was very unhappy that a man who last year was prepared to work for and in Nigeria with a four year contract can all of a sudden start to describe the place as ‘unsafe’ so am not having that.

“I am not interested in all those sorts of things; my first aim is always to defend my country on and off the pitch. It was not a personal attack on the person of Sainfelt, it is unfortunate that it has come across like that, but this is my default mode of defending Nigeria.”

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