Nigerian club walked over in Tunis

Dolphins of Port Harcourt were knocked out of the 2015 CAF Confederation Cup, as they were walk over after they arrived late for a first round, first leg match against Club Africain in Tunis.

According to reports, the Garden City boys were walked over after failing to arrive at the venue of the match on time.

Other reports claimed that players refused to board an Emirates Airline flight from Lagos on Thursday night, protesting unpaid wages, and though they eventually traveled by the same airline on Friday afternoon, the connecting flight from Dubai did not arrive Tunis in good time for the team to reach the stadium before the approved kick –off time.

Dolphins have however reacted to several reports about their ejection from the competition.

In a statement obtained by Goal, the Port Harcourt based club attributed their unceremonious exit from the CAF competition to tricks by their north African host.

The club in the statement denounced the reports that they did not travel for the game and that Dolphins were stranded in Dubai and thus didn't make it to Tunisia.

The club revealed that they had informed the NFF in writing of their challenges and a request to shift the game from Saturday to Sunday.

“The team arrived late in Tunisia but in good time to play the game if not for the antics and shenanigans of the home team and Federation,” the statement reads.

“We arrived in Tunis, via Emirates Airline on Saturday, 14 March 2015 at exactly 1pm. And even though our request to have the game postponed was not granted, we were ready to play as we arrived in good time, though fatigued and travel weary," the club stated.

Dolphins of Port Harcourt revealed that there was delay in getting visas processed to the delegation when they arrived the country.

The club also revealed that when they finished from the airport, it was already 3pm and there was no bus to convey the delegation to the stadium.

Dolphins revealed that their conveying from the airport to the stadium by the Tunisian Football Federation was staged in such a way that the bus was going round and round the streets of Tunis rather than taking a straight route to the stadium.

"The Federation official, Mr. Mahmoud Ouaddeni told us that the supporters would stone us if we went straight to the stadium. We arrived the stadium at exactly 4pm and were told we had been walked over by the home team," the statement revealed.

The club also claimed that there was no accommodation arranged by the host.