GOVERNOR Peter Odili's monetary gift to members of the Black Stars after a World Cup game against the Super Eagles should not be made an issue, a top NFA official has said.

Rather, the gift, the official said portrays the hospitality inherent in African culture.

According to him, "it is a common thing in Africa to give gifts to visitors when they are about to go.

In the olden days, our forefathers gave yam tubers, goats, cowries and so on.

So, if the Governor of Rivers State in his magnanimity decided to give a visiting team some money after a game, he is keeping to the culture of his people.

It will be act of mischief to read any other meaning to the gesture", said the F.A official who pleaded for anonymity.

And in Ghana, the Executive Council of the Ghana Football Association over the weekend cleared Mr. Ben Koufie of any wrong doing over the affair.

An emergency meeting convened in the wake of widespread attack on the GFA boss which roped in journalists accompanying the team, stressed that the bribery allegations against them were "unfounded and without merit".

The matter has gained international media attention and was discussed widely even on the world wide web as well.

The following comment was on one such US based site: I was not in Port Harcourt to witness the euphoria following the match, but from the reports that I have seen, "the only real issue here is that the Governor is apparently misspending taxpayers money.

Unless of course it is his own personal money (I understand that he was a wealthy US-based doctor), in which case he is suffering from a paucity of judgment (or just too giddy from too much champagne)"