The Nigerian High Commission in Pretoria, South Africa, has cautioned Nigerians of possible inflammatory comments ahead of the highly anticipated AFCON clash between Bafana Bafana and the Super Eagles.
Nigeria and South Africa will face off in a semi-final on Wednesday, 7 February for a spot in the AFCON final.
In a statement, the High Commission said it has been made aware of potentially inflammatory online comments allegedly made by some South Africans against Nigerians living in South Africa.
The High Commission said the comments are largely influenced by the upcoming AFCON semi-final between the two teams.
Most of the comments consist of veiled threats against ‘Nigerians cooking jollof rice’ before the match, and ‘showing pepper to Nigerians if Bafana Bafana lose to the Super Eagles’, among others.
The advisory issued on Tuesday read: “The attention of the Nigeria High Commission Pretoria has been drawn to potentially inflammatory online comments made by a section of South African citizens against Nigerians living in host country, largely influenced by the upcoming 2024 African Cup of Nations (AFCON) semi-final match between the Super Eagles and the Bafana Bafana on Wednesday 7th February 2024.
“Most of the comments consist of veiled threats against “Nigerians cooking jollof rice” before the match, and “showing pepper to Nigerians if the Bafana Bafana lose to the Super Eagles”, among others.
“In this regard, the High Commission hereby advises the Nigerian community to be watchful of their utterances, be mindful of where they choose to watch the match especially in public places, and refrain from engaging in loud, riotous or provocative celebrations should the Super Eagles win the match.
“Additionally, Nigerians should maintain the good conduct they are known for, and be law abiding before, during and after the match. Should any provocations arise, they should not be reciprocated but reported to the appropriate authorities,” the High Commission added.
The Super Eagles qualified for the semi-finals of the AFCON 2023 after beating the Palencas Negras of Angola 1-0 on Friday. South Africa’s Bafana Bafana beat Cape Verde 2-1 on penalties to set up the match with Nigeria.
