Thaindian News

Kolkata, Jan 6 (IANS) A day after being charged with molesting an airhostess, Churchill Brothers’ Nigerian skipper Odafe Onyeka Okolie Wednesday said that he was innocent and was framed because he is a foreigner in India.
Odafe, his compatriot Ogba Kalu and India’s under-23 goalkeeper Arindam Bhattacharya were accused of molestation by an airhostess while the team was travelling on a Spice Jet flight on their way to Kolkata from Goa via Mumbai.

The whole team was offloaded at the Chhatrapati Shivaji airport in Mumbai and detained at the airport police station Tuesday night. The team - the champion club in India - arrived here in the morning and will face Mohun Bagan, one of India’s oldest soccer clubs, in the I-League match slated for Thursday.

“The space inside the aircraft was cramped and when I moved my hand, I accidentally touched one of the airhostess. I apologised to her immediately and it was sorted out between us. But suddenly a male crew started shouting at us and the matter flared up. I am innocent and am being charged only because I am an African,” he said.

Club president Joaquim Alemao said that the defending champions have lost valuable time ahead of their crucial I-League match.

“It is a crucial match. We have already wasted practice sessions because of this mess. It was not even molestation. How can they offload the whole team for the fault of just one member? And having known Odafe, I can tell you that he is not the kind of person to indulge in all such activities. He has set an example not only on the field but also off the field as well,” he said.

Alemao also said that he will file a defamation suit against Spice Jet airlines.

“Why did they have to deboard everybody when the complaint was only against three persons? This is a clear case of harassment. I am going to file a defamation case against Spice Jet,” Alemao added.

Churchill defender and India international Gourmangi Singh said that it was unfortunate how the footballers are being treated in the country.

“The airlines officials created an issue out of nothing. It was very sad to see how footballers are treated in the country. Can they behave like this if a cricket team was travelling?” he asked.

Odafe is the highest paid footballer in the country and has been the highest scorer in the I-League, the national league, for the last three seasons. He is reputed to earn about Rs. 10 million (200,000 dollars) a year.

There are about 300 African footballers playing across India, mainly from Nigeria and Ghana.