World Cup: Nigerian player receives death threats

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The first World Cup on African soil has been a disaster for the continent on the pitch, where it’s possible none of the six African teams will advance out of pool play.

And now the Nigerian team is asking its government for extra security after midfielder Sani Kaita’s red card during last week’s loss to Greece prompted more than 1,000 death threats.

Nigeria team spokesman Idah Peterside said Kaita has received death threats via e-mail from Nigeria since being sent off for kicking at Greece’s Vassilis Torosidis in the 33rd minute of Thursday’s 2-1 loss at Bloemfontein.

‘We just hope that the government will treat these threats as a serious matter,’ Peterside told the Associated Press on Sunday.

Nigeria’s Sports Minister Ibrahim Bio is staying in the team’s hotel in South Africa and has been alerted to the threats, Peterside said. South Africa police spokesman Vishnu Naidoo said all teams at the World Cup were receiving adequate protection and that he hadn’t received any reports of threats against the Nigerian player.

Peterside said the threats were a result of frustration by some fans in the football-mad West African nation, whose team closes pool play against South Korea on Tuesday.

Nigeria lost its opening match 1-0 to Argentina in Rustenburg and was leading Greece 1-0 before Kaita was given a straight red card. The Greeks scored their first goals in World Cup history and rallied to capture their first-ever win in the tournament.

Security has been increased around the Nigerian team’s base in Durban, but Peterside doesn’t believe the team is under any serious threat while in South Africa.

‘We have enough security in South Africa and we are not worried about the player’s safety here,’ he said

Kaita ‘has apologized to his teammates, and they all have forgiven him,’ Peterside said. ‘We are in good spirits ahead of the South Korea game.’

In the most prominent case of an international player being targeted after a World Cup, Colombia defender Andres Escobar was shot and killed in his home country days after his own goal helped the United States defeat the Colombians 2-1 in a major upset in 1994.

-- Kevin Baxter in Johannesburg