Soccer denies drunk claims

Normal, Sports
Source:

The National, Friday 19th April 2013

 THE Papua New Guinea Football Association has categorically denied any of the national Under-20 players were drunk and annoyed passengers on their flight home after finishing last in the five-nation Oceania qualifiers in Fiji. 

PNGFA secretary general Dirimit Mileng yesterday questioned the source, Janet Sesevi, and how genuine was her account of who were disorderly on the plane.

“The PNGFA’s own investigation has found that those who were drunk and disorderly were a group of passengers picked up in Honiara. Some of those passengers were youths, about the same age as the PNG U20 players.

“Sesevi needs to get her facts right before making such false allegations because these youth footballers could kiss goodbye to any further opportunity to represent the country and they know better,” he said.

PNGFA and the U20 coach Wesley Waiwai and the management team and the players are demanding a public apology from this newspaper for publishing the story.

The eight players in Besta camp are very upset with the report.

Mileng questioned why it took six weeks for Sesevi to decide to go to the press about the incident.  

“Why can’t Sesevi report the incident to the organisation responsible, the PNGFA, and not just go out to media to make a false accusation,” he said.

Waiwai was equally disappointed with the report, saying it was unfair on the U20 players and soccer in general. 

“There is no way such thing has happened. The boys know how tough the team management is and we will not tolerate such behaviour.”